...Have mercy on us, commuters, motorists beg FG

If the current fuel scarcity persists till next month, President Muhammadu Buhari may have a first taste of national mass protests from Nigerian workers since he came to power on May 29 this year.

The planned protests will be led by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the largest trade union in the country. Hints of the pending mass action were dropped by the NLC President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, on Monday in Kaduna.

An angry Wabba, who decried the worrisome fuel crisis and the hardship it has brought on Nigerians, warned that the NLC will embark on mass protests if the scarcity goes beyond the December deadline given to President Buhari to address the situation.

Wabba said that should the Buhari-led Federal Government fail to arrest the situation before next month, organised labour will be forced to take action in the interest of Nigerians.

The NLC boss, who bemoaned the avoidable hardships Nigerians were subjected to because of the scarcity, argued that the problem can only be resolved if the Federal Government stops the importation of refined petroleum products and build "more functional refineries." The current scarcity of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) also known as petrol has been attributed to the non-payment of outstanding subsidies to oil marketers.

The government had two weeks ago announced the approval of N413 billion for the settlement of subsidies' claims to the marketers. But last Wednesday, the Minister of State for Petroleum and Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Corporation (NNPC), Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, disclosed that the money was yet to be paid to the marketers because the National Assembly had not approved it. He promised that the money would be paid in a week's time.

If that holds, the marketers are likely to receive the money tomorrow. Some of the fuel importers said that the current scarcity of products was due to their inability to import more products into the country because of the huge debt owed them by the government.

But at the opening of the 2015 Harmattan School in Kaduna, Wabba expressed concern that with the scarcity which has resulted to long queues at fuel stations across the country, workers had resorted to going to work late while prices of food stuff and transport fares had gone up. This, he said, was unacceptable and urged the Federal Government to do something before the situation really gets out of control.

"This problem can only be resolved if the government stops the importation of petrol and builds more functional refineries," Wabba said.

The NLC President said that with the recent transition in the country and with the old problem of economic decline, corruption, insurgency and the need to consolidate on the nation's democratic gains, the theme of the 2015 Harmattan School: "Rebuilding the Labour Movement For Economic Growth and Democracy," had become imperative.

He stressed the need for strong alliances between organised labour and civil society organisations to form a formidable force to tackle the numerous challenges facing the country. Wabba said that the revitalisation of the labour movement in the country had become imperative so that it can "speak against corruption and the ungodly Boko Haram activities which have stultified our nation from achieving growth and development."

As the NLC demands action against the lingering fuel crisis, motorists and commuters have urged the Federal Government to save them from the severe hardships imposed on them by the high transport fares and food prices due to lack of fuel.

They also lamented that their businesses had been brought to a standstill because they have no fuel to run their operations as most of them rely on generating sets for electricity. Some commuters in Akwanga, Keffi, and Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital, described the current scarcity as very acute, adding that most filling stations have hiked the price of petrol from N87 per litre to between N110 and N130 per litre.

They said that black marketers have also raised the price to between N180 to N200 per litre. The AUTHORITY on Monday, discovered that transport fare from Lafia to Keffi had risen from N400 to N600 for a journey of one and half hours, while from Karu in Abuja to Lafia, passengers pay N1,000 instead of N700 before the product scarcity started.

A commuter, Mrs. Grace Ishaku said: "I left home with N1,300 for both transportation and to buy Irish potatoes at Akwanga from Nasarawa Eggon which usually attracts N150 as transport fare, which N300 would have been sufficient to take me to and fro but because I had to pay N500 for transportation only,

I was unable to meet my target of buying a half bag of potatoes. So I ended up buying a basket at N600." Another commuter, Mr. Emmanuel Anejuka, said the past government, as people were made to believe, ruined the system but the present administration of Buhari has not made any difference neither.

"So, we don't know who to blame as politicians are making a mockery of the Nigerian masses." The AUTHORITY learnt that some filling stations were hoarding petrol and also unwilling to sell at the official pump price.

Meanwhile, the NNPC has advised the general public to report cases of hoarding and selling of fuel above the official pump price by its outlets across the country. The Managing Director of NNPC in charge of retail, Mr. Ladipo Fagbola, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Monday.

He said that the corporation was monitoring the activities of its retail fuel stations to check sharp practices among them.

Fagbola noted that given the large volume of fuel supplied in the country, the NNPC would ensure that Nigerians received the best services at the fuel stations.

He urged Nigerians to report fuel stations which engaged in the hoarding of petroleum products and selling above the official pump price of N87 through the following hotlines: 08057008021, 08052195801 and 08100941174.

http://authorityngr.com/2015/11/FUEL-SCARCITY--NLC-threatens-mass-protests/

I know that Buhari is doing his best

They forced him to pay 413 Billion naira

CBN is trying to verify the claim before they pay

But i strongly suggest that NLC should go on strike until normalcy returns to the oil sector

AND while they are at it , they should demand for increased minimum wage and arrears

Not only ministers should have 100 Million wardrobe allowance abeg

Head no pass head, We are Nigerians - Biafra

Who is our minister of petroleum? This fuel issues shouldn't extend to Dec....

Hahahahahaha I just they laugh..... In biafra where I come from , I never hear about fuel scarcity . Enjoy your nigeria Nigerian. Bubu d best president

who protest don help?

chaloner:
In biafra where I come from , I never hear about fuel scarcity . Enjoy your nigeria Nigerian.

Wicked!

demielvis:

Wicked!

thumbs up

GOOD, LONG OVERDUE.

Bubu I love you but I will join this protest in a heartbeat.
The situation is ridiculous!

What is holding this country down is actually powerful

Please shut up and enjoy your change pmb body odour is everywhere.

'Threatens'?

They should hit the road already