The House of Representatives has called on the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited to end the artificial scarcity of petroleum products especially the premium motor spirit in the country within the next one week.
The green chamber said the artificial scarcity of petrol has caused untold hardship to millions of Nigerians across the country.
Following a motion moved by Saidu Abdulahi, members unanimously adopted the motion which they said has further grounded economic activities due to no specific reason.
The House worried that if the situation continues, the festive period will bring unbearable hardship to their constituents as the price of goods and services will skyrocket.
“Intelligence reports on current fuel scarcity gathered by our security agencies indicated that there is a deliberate plan by some oil marketers to derail the effort of the government in the distribution of fuel in the country by hoarding the petroleum products, thereby creating artificial scarcity all over the country,” Abdulahi said.
“It is observed with dismay that those who are gaining from this artificial fuel scarcity appear to be smiling home as a result of this ugly development and this has the potency to provoke innocent Nigerians against the government.
“The inability of the regulators of the petroleum sector to end this artificial scarcity of petroleum products forced the Department of State Security Services to issue an ultimatum to the NNPC, and oil marketers to end the artificial scarcity within 48-hours,” the lawmaker added.
[READ ALSO] Fuel Queues: DSS Acted To Prevent Another #OccupyNigeria Protest, Says Ejiofor
The House, therefore, mandated its committees on Petroleum Resources Downstream and Legislative Compliance to ensure compliance from the NNPC and other key stakeholders to comply with the resolve of the House as it appears there is a deliberate plan by some oil marketers to derail the efforts of government in the distribution of the products.
The green chamber also called on the Nigerian Midstream Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission to work with the Nigeria Police Force and Department of State Services to ensure that the essential commodity is sold at the regulated price and in all retail outlets.
Last Thursday, amid biting fuel scarcity across Nigeria, the DSS directed oil marketers and the NNPC to resolve the fuel crisis within 48 hours, saying the situation is detrimental to the security of the country.
However, vehicle owners especially in Lagos and Abuja continue to have a tough time getting petrol from filling stations. Whilst many outlets are closed, the few ones that are open sell the indispensable commodity for as high as N250 per litre above the uniform price of N169/litre.
The shortage of supply has led to long, gruelling snake-like queues at the few open filling stations as motorists and business owners jostle to buy fuel while others resort to the black market. The situation has also worsened traffic on major roads as vehicle owners block at least one lane to join queues to filling stations.
