Senate gives Nigerian govt, NNPC one-week to end fuel queues

The Senate, on Thursday, issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Federal Government and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), to end long queues in petrol stations nationwide.

This resolution followed the unanimous adoption of a report of the joint committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream), over the lingering fuel crisis.

Presenting the report, chairman of the committee, Kabiru Marafa, said the panel recommended that NNPC be issued a seven day ultimatum to ensure the disappearance of the queues from fuel stations across the country.

He stressed the need for security agencies to ensure effective boarder patrol to check diversion of petroleum products to neighbouring African countries.

Marafa said the report also recommended that the Department for Petroleum Resources (DPR) should double its efforts to enforce compliance with the government regulated pump price.

Read also: South East senators label Nigeria “Buhari’s country”

“During the recess, the committee moved around some cities including Abuja and Lagos to ascertain the situation on ground. When we think that we are making progress, we just realised that the queues were resurfacing at the stations.

“We also engaged with the NNPC and other stakeholders and we were informed that there were challenges of supply coupled with massive smuggling of petroleum products to neighbouring countries for higher prices. Also there is the problem of marketers selling above approved pump price,” Marafa said.

In his concluding remarks, the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, urged the management of NNPC to ensure compliance with the resolution and endeavour to see to the disappearance of long queues within the next seven days.

 

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