Scarcity continues despite assurances by marketers, tanker
drivers
By Emma Ujah, Abuja Bureau Chief & Michael Eboh
ABUJA —The Federal Government and major oil marketers,
yesterday, declined to give a specific amount as the
outstanding debt owed fuel marketers in subsidy payments.
The two parties, however, said the payments had been
reconciled, with marketers announcing their resolve to
immediately ensure smooth fuel distribution throughout the
country.
Emerging from a meeting between the marketers and
government agencies in Abuja, yesterday, the Coordinating
Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi
Okonjo-Iweala, and Mr. Femi Olawore, who spoke for the
marketers, said the matter had been amicably resolved.
The minister said the reconciled figure indicated that what was
recently paid to marketers was N154 billion and not N156
billion.
According to her, “it is a rolling business and even as we
speak, claims are being presented to the Petroleum Products
Pricing Regulatory Agency, PPPRA, and the Executive Secretary
is clearing and signing some. Therefore, it is difficult to give a
specific figure as the outstanding debt.
“As the marketers continue to supply products to Nigerians,
we will continue to pay. This is a process that is continuous.”
The minister said rather than insisting on the figure of the
debt, what Nigerians should note was the significant reduction
in subsidy from N2.3 trillion in 2011 to N971 billion last year.
She said about N500 billion had been paid to marketers this
year, including the N154 that had just been paid.
Calculating debt
Responding to questions, Olawore said the basis of calculating
the debt by the marketers was different from that of the
Federal Government which made it impossible to arrive at the
same figure.
His words: “It depends on the figure that the PPPRA has sent to
the DMO (Debt management Office) and the DMO has
scrutnised and sent to the CME (Coordinating Minister for the
Economy). As the person that is doing the supply (of fuel), I do
it to the last day but my documents might not even have
passed the point of processing. That is why there is that
disparity.
“This is a process that is continuing. At some point, there will
be an agreement to say, for today, we pay you ‘X’. When you
get ‘X’, it could even eat into the N200 billion and then there
are more jobs done and then it continues like that. “
Oil marketers had said earlier that they were being owed
about N200 billion in unpaid subsidy by the Federal
Government, a figure that was disputed by Okonjo-Iweala,
which brought about the reconciliation meeting.
Scarcity continues despite assurances by marketers, tanker
drivers
Meanwhile, the fuel crisis in Abuja continued, yesterday, with
long queues at almost all the petrol stations while motorists
spent several hours trying to purchase the commodity.
This was in spite of assurances by oil marketers, Petroleum
Tanker Drivers (PTD) and National Association of Road
Transport Owners, NARTO, of improved fuel supply across the
country. This followed the resolution of their disagreement
and the payment of N156 billion by the Federal Government
to marketers for outstanding subsidy claims.
Unlike the situation last week, where 95 per cent of the petrol
stations in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, were without
petrol to sell, most of the petrol stations were selling,
yesterday, but were besieged by motorists.
In some of the petrol stations, like the Nigerian National
Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) mega station in the Central
Area, the queues stretched to as far as two kilometres,
blocking major roads and causing gridlock in some of the
areas.
Along the Airport Road, Asokoro, Lugbe, Kubwa and Gwarinpa
only a few petrol stations were selling, while others were shut,
claiming they have run out of the commodity.
The three petrol stations at Dutse, along the Kubwa
Expressway, were shut, while large number of motorists was
seen trying to buy the product at the NNPC filling stations
located miles apart on both stretch of the Kubwa Expressway.
Oando petrol stations at Wuse Zone One and Zone Four were
selling, same also for NNPC petrol station at Wuse 2.
Black marketers have field day
Black marketers continue to have a field day, as there were
seen in strategic locations across the Federal Capital Territory,
FCT, selling fuel to motorists at between N200 and N250 per
litre.
At Mabushi, Kado, Dutse, Gwarinpa, Central Area and Wuse
among others, the black marketers were making brisk
business.
Stations hike pump price
Also, a number of petrol stations hiked their pump price,
selling at between N110 and N130 per litre. Specifically,
Vanguard observed that the NNPC filling station in Nyanya,
Abuja was selling at N110 per litre, while the NNPC filling
station at Zuba was selling for N135 per litre.
Almost, all the petrol stations at Byashin in Bwari Area
Council, Abuja were selling at between N120 and N140 per
litre along with petrol stations at Suleja and Abuja-Kaduna
Expressway.
The NNPC had a couple of days ago, attributed the recent
scarcity to the strike embarked upon by the members of
National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) and
the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) over their disagreements
with major oil marketers.
However, a few days ago, Comrade Atunda Adebayo, Public
Relations Officer, PTD Branch of the Nigerian Union of
Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, said his
members had started lifting products to ease the hardship
occasioned by fuel scarcity,
He promised that the effect of the movement of products
across the country will be felt from this week, adding that
there are vessels laden with petroleum products at the high
sea waiting to berth in the country.

www.vanguardngr.com/2015/05/subsidy-debt-fg-marketers-fail-to-give-specific-amount/

Members of the cabals are resolved to hold Nigeria to ransome. One of their own is now in power anyway... God help us

barcanista:
Members of the cabals are resolved to hold Nigeria to ransome. One of their own is now is power anyway... God help us

How is buhari one of there own?? why don't you shut up and live with the ignoble acts trailing your online flip flop personality. Hope you and the loser you support will be able to explain the astronomical rise in the subsidy payment from yar'adua tenure to the shameful figures we have now.

barcanista:
Members of the cabals are resolved to hold Nigeria to ransome. One of their own is now is power anyway... God help us

GUY, GROW UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! U WERE NOT LIKE THIS BEFORE,