The recent ban on sale of petrol in jerry-cans by the Rivers State government has continued to generate reactions as Marine workers and the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) at the weekend opposed the action. The state government earlier said the decision to prohibit sale of petrol in jerry cans would assist in checking the activities of black marketers, but the Marine Workers Association and boat operators in the state have rejected the ban, saying it would affect their operation. Leader of the Maritime workers and boat operator in the state, Francis Bodo told newsmen at the weekend that, “We, the Marine people have no other way of buying fuel other than through the use of jerri-cans. We cannot carry our big and small boats on our heads to the filling station.”

Also, ACN in in a statement signed by its state Publicity Secretary, Jerry Needam, said the ban is unwarranted and that it amounts to an infringement on the right of generator users, who use jerry-cans to purchase petrol to fuel their generators.

The party, while wondering how people would power their homes without using jerry-cans to purchase fuel, recalled that in the wake of the labour strike occasioned by the increase in price of fuel, Amaechi promised some palliatives to cushion the suffering of the masses, but that up till now, no palliative has been put in place.

The ACN also wondered why Governor Chibuike Amaechi was quick to ban the use of jerry-cans at filling stations when his promise of providing electricity has remained unfulfilled.

The state’s Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mrs. Ibim Seminatari, while addressing journalists in Port Harcourt, said that the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources had been mandated to close down any filling station that fails to comply with the order.

The Commissioner for Energy and Natural Resources, Okey Amadi on his part, said his ministry has already taken proactive steps to ensure that defaulting marketers are apprehended

StarBoard:

It's only in Rivers State that you see idiotic and unrealistic policies like these.
Meanwhile he promised to make electricity available.Still a pipe dream,like the monorail project.And muppets like phantom will come here and praise Amaechi for doing absolutely nothing.

Common sense will tell you that if fuel is readily available and there is no scarcity,nobody will do business with black market dudes.
Why not tackle the scarcity and ensure that the product is readily available?
Yet he wants folks to stay in darkness.

Simpleton Amaechi has yet to impement his bus-conducting palliative.
Just another loud-mouthed,garullous mor.on

pek:

In a country where the number of people who use fuel bought in jerry cans outnumber those who buy into their cars.

doctokwus:

Our expectations of governance& d quality of leadership has become so low that someone comes& makes one or two noises& we take him to b d next best tin we ever had.Amaechi is evn being touted as a presdent in d future,,well I guess if Jonathan can bcome d pres of 150m people,den every noisemaker& political office holder can as well b.

StarBoard:

In reality,I'm yet to see the difference Amaechi has made.A few tared roads here and there,yet the paucity of ideas he has is exhibited by silly pronouncements like these as well as his palliatives.
If Amaechi is touted as a future president of this country,then woe betide us.
He is a false leader.

otokx:

Yet to see any enforcement of the law.

2kurupt:

@Stagger. So the boat users should be out of work & remain hungry while they reach out to the govt abi? Secondly can't you see the difference between 1989's electricity situation & present reality?
Must we always sheepishly support any policy govt spits despite it been bullsh!! t??!

Okija_juju:

But seriously sha, this is just bullsh'it. . . .

So the man with a Generator should push his generator to the filling station to get gas abi?! The man whose car stopped miles from a gas station should push his car to the station to get gas abi?! The boy who uses a fuel- powered grinding machine in the market should push the machine a a station abi?! The vulcanizer on the street should push his pump to the station abi?!

This is one of those bad idea type laws. . . I'm sorry Amaechi, you didnt think this through.

stagger:

How have they been buying fuel since 1989?

The reason that law was enacted was because in times of scarcity, fuel stations would sell fuel to the jerry can peddlers who would sell it on the black market at 100%. This occurs even now.

Come to Abuja and see what is happening. 10 litres of fuel being sold at N2,000 last week, right outside a filling station. What rubbish!

LEXYLOV:

Even in the western world people buy fuel into can for their domestic uses. What a dumb policy, bunch of illiterates in power, From Jonathan to the last man in his party and administration are clueless and dumb. God have mercy on Nigeria and save her people from retardeen maladministration who only understand looting and nothing else.