Gbenro Adeoye
Many Nigerians, including civil society organisations, analysts and individuals have expressed anger and disappointment over the ongoing fuel scarcity across the country, blaming oil marketers and President Muhammadu Buhari, who doubles as the Minister of Petroleum, for their plight.

Nigerians have had to endure long hours at the few fuel stations that sell Premium Motor Spirit, otherwise called petrol, for about a week, with no end in sight to the problem.

There are also reports that the scarcity is compounded by oil marketers hoarding the product to sell at prices above the official pump price of N87 per litre.



Findings by Saturday PUNCH show that the product sells for between N100 and N150 per litre in most fuel stations across the country, with the product going for as high as N400 per litre in the black market.

Unusually long queues of vehicles and customers with kegs characterise the few stations that sell the product at the official pump price.

President Buhari recently announced himself as the Minister of Petroleum and this seems to have put him at the forefront of public criticisms over the issue.

Civil society groups, among other Nigerians, said that President Buhari, whose presidential campaign had promised to bring change to the country, has failed to deal with the problem of fuel scarcity.

For instance, the Northern Elders’ Council Chairman, Tanko Yakasai, blamed Buhari for failing in his promise to Nigerians to revive the oil sector, saying his tenure as Minister of Petroleum was kicked off on a bad note.

He said, “I’m buying from the black market. The start does not show a good signal for the new minister of petroleum resources. Buhari came to power on the strength of the change slogan. He promised to change what was happening in the country, so what we expected was change and not this.

“But look at what is happening under Buhari as the minister of petroleum resources. He came to power on the platform of change but there has been no change. If the same situation we used to experience has continued, so where is the change? What has he done better? We still have queues at fuel stations all over the country. He has been in power for many months and we are still grappling with fuel scarcity in the country. Is that change? Where is the change?”

Chairman, Civil Liberties Organisation, Bayelsa State, Nengi James, also said that the expectation of people in the Niger Delta was that the welfare of the people in the region would change for the better with Buhari’s government.

He said, “When we say change, we expect the security and welfare of the people to change for the better, but presently, apart from suffering from sea piracy and environmental pollution in the Niger Delta, there is environmental degradation.

“We are really suffering. The fuel situation is biting harder. The artisans who need the fuel to manage their lives are crying. No light and still no fuel. The illegal refineries have been shut down and they are the ones who cushion the effect of such crises.”

James expressed hope that the situation would improve, but warned Buhari that the wait for change should not take forever.

He said, “We are waiting to see what will happen, but we still expect that there will be changes over time but the wait for change cannot be endless. We need action; we are tired of talk with no action.”

A statement made available by the President of the Nigeria Labour Congreess, Ayuba Wabba, also urged Buhari to put an end to the suffering of Nigerians, saying the scarcity had persisted in spite of government’s assurance that it would be resolved within 72 hours.

It stated: “We note that this is happening despite assurances from government and its agencies that there is enough fuel being distributed around the country and that citizens need not go into panic buying.

“That the situation has not visibly improved after more than 72 hours of such assurance means that the marketers and other groups that have held the country hostage over the years for their unearned profiteering from the petroleum sector are still determined to continue as if it is business as usual.”

An environmental rights activist, Alagoa Morris, said he “thought the perennial fuel scarcity would have been a thing of the past,” adding that he was “surprised to learn that the Federal Government was still owing marketers and for that reason, the importers could not release fuel.”

He, however, advised the Federal Government to look inward for solutions, which he said include “encouraging the establishment of modular refineries in our creeks.”

He said, “All the refineries need is proper environmental impact assessment. Then they should be given licences to operate. It will give us enough refined products, take care of unemployment, boost local economy and reduce crime in our creeks.”

However, the National Publicity Secretary of the Yoruba socio-political organization, Afenifere, Yinka Odumakin, said Nigeria was facing a huge economic crisis, describing the change mantra of the APC as deceptive.

Speaking on the fuel crisis, Odumakin said, “I will not condemn the President as a person. I would rather indict those around him who have been lying to Nigerians that there will be miracles overnight, and that every of our problems would disappear.

“They said he would do this and that, promising impossible things during electioneering in the name of the President. Anybody who was sober enough would know that there is big crisis in Nigeria because over the years, we have relied on just one product, which is oil.”

Advising government on the way out of the problem, he said, “This lazy culture of governors going to Abuja to share money every month can no longer work. Let every state start looking at its resources; that is the only way out. But we cannot do that without discarding the national constitution, which says that everything belongs to the Federal Government.”

Some citizens, who spoke to our correspondent from across the country, also shared the frustrations of motorists and other fuel users in their various states. Also, on social media platforms, Nigerians have been blaming Buhari and fuel marketers for the ongoing scarcity.

Ismael Ibrahim, a resident of Sokoto State, said a litre of petrol sells for about N140 in the state, adding that its residents have solely put the blame on President Buhari and the marketers.

Copyright PUNCH.

http://punchng.com/nigerians-slam-buhari-marketers-over-fuel-scarcity/

lalasticlala

Zombies will they agree?
Zombie ooooo!!! Zombie!!! Zombie no go go if you no tell am make he dey go.
Buhari: Zombies where are you people?
Zombies: Sai baba,we are here.
Buhari: The thread about the pic of 105 soldiers that l told you people to tell Nigerians that the pic is those soldiers that had head on collision with a petrol tanker and were burnt to ashes,how did it go?
Zombies: Nigerians are wise now oo. It is no business as usual.They asked us how come their clothes were not burnt?
Buhari: What did you tell them?
Zombies: We told them to remember the case of Shedrack, Meshach and Abednego.
Buhari: Punch has come again ooo. Tell Nigerians that you people (Zombies) are the majority that voted me into power.That you are not complaining.

End-time Government!

Click like if you think our leaders are drunk! Click share if you think it's kai-kai

PDP and their marketers keep holding NIGERIA to ransom




MY PRESIDENT U MOST WAKE UP


NO LIGHT



NO FUEL



BABA WAKE UP OOOOOO.

Maybe the marketers are taking advantage of the season so they want to gain triple of their annual sales.

seawoman:
Maybe the marketers are taking advantage of the season so they want to gain triple of their annual sales.

and they cud not do it during gej time?

last dec rice was 8k -10 k a bag and fuel remained same

Cry me a river

Dem never see change yet
dem go soon see coins
Buhari has abandoned Nigeria in this time of fuel scarcity n missing soldiers to proceed on an annual leave in Iran of all places.

Liar Muhammed come oh, work don come. Adesina oya come n giv ur propaganda defense

"Democracy is the process by which people choose the man who'll get the blame" - Bertrand Russell

PMB needs to address the root causes of this fuel scarcity once and all. It is also important to take a firm position on the scope and credibility of our oil marketers so that we can free ourselves from the ghost of the previous administration.

These newly registered wailers realising they were deceived with the "CHANGE SLOGAN" are ashame to admit that Buhari has nothing to offer except bogus promises which buhari himself doesn't even understand let alone having genuine intention of fulfilling them. These zombies who boldly said they will vote for the man even with a NEPA bill as a certificate have now found themselves in enormous pains yet have failed to tell themselves the truth that the situation was far better in Jonathan's tenure than what is happening now. I say things not out of disappointment rather I do it as a reminder to the sai baba chanters whose number has drastically deminished, that I warned them. The suffering is just about to start, it hasn't started yet. Proudly 5%.

It would have been worse with Jonathan.

palladin:
It would have been worse with Jonathan.

Please tell me another story!!! Oponu

palladin:
It would have been worse with Jonathan.

A soothing balm for the ashamed..

@topic:

Nigerians neva chi chonchin, they think governing Nigeria is all about making bogus promises oya time is already telling..

Shit, this is so annoying, a fuel cost of 96naira per litre, now 160naira, some people doesnt even care about their vechicles anymore, most of them used their legsauce as a means of transportation, end time is near oh....naija do something...the poor are suffering ohh.. Wahai

There is more to governance than sitting down somwhere and criticize.

This people have nothing to offer Nigerians QED.

Thank God Baba is the Minister of Petroleum so nobody to blame except the minister.

SAI BARBER MY BLACK ASSS!!

Monimatic:
Dem never see change yet
dem go soon see coins
Buhari has abandoned Nigeria in this time of fuel scarcity n missing soldiers to proceed on an annual leave in Iran of all places.

mr tourism is aka Buhari

End Time scarcity

That's the 'change'!

We hope the slaves down south can see that we Biafrans were right after all.

Wait until the presidency begins to blame GEJ


Change indeed

Na wa o this game sure so?

End time sign

L

.

This is the worst fuel crises this country has seen in recent time.
Buhari as petroleum minister is not working at all
Those who voted for change, athinnk ona see.suffer wey ona put us

End time president
End time marketers
End time country

Slammers

The worst petroleum minister ever #Booohari