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As Nigerians grapple with the lingering fuel crisis, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, has urged citizens to stop panic buying.
Since July, many Nigerians have been spending most of their productive hours queueing at fuel stations.
The situation has subjected many citizens, especially those who use petrol to run their businesses to hardship and extortion in the hands of street petrol peddlers.
Shockingly, while Nigerians hope and pray for relief, the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation Limited compounded their problem by increasing the price of petrol to ₦897 per litre across the country, days after admitting $6.8 billion debt to petrol marketers.
The NNPCL said the debt is the major cause of disruption in the supply of the commodity.
The price hike came barely five hours after the Dangote Refinery officially announced the commencement of petrol production.
Many Nigerians had expected that with Dangote Refinery’s petrol in the market, the long queues at fuel stations would disappear overnight. They are wrong.
Days after the announcement by Dangote Refinery and the price increase by the NNPCL, fuel scarcity persists as many fuel stations remain shut, and commuters resort to trekking due to the sudden increase in transport fares in major cities.
The Minister’s promise
In a bid to allay Nigerians’ worry, Lokpobiri, while addressing journalists on Thursday, September 5, 2024, assured that petrol would be available across the country by the weekend.
“What is important is that products are available in the country, and we believe that between now and the weekend, there will be availability of products across the length and breadth of the country.
“The price could be high in some areas, much higher in some other locations, and much more (sic) higher in other areas.
“But we believe that by the time there’s availability of products across the country, the price itself will stabilise.”
Dispelling the speculation that the increase in fuel price was the Federal Government’s decision, Lokpobiri stressed that the government has nothing to do with the recent price hike, adding that the petrol sector is deregulated.
“What is important is that the government is not fixing prices. This sector is deregulated. And we believe that with the availability of products, the price will find its level. And this is important for Nigerians to know.
“There’s enough product in the country to be able to meet the demands of Nigerians; there should be no panic buying. And we also believe that Nigerians need to know that the government is not fixing prices,” the minister said.
Nigerians demand petrol price reversal
Meanwhile, Nigerians have demanded the reversal of the price hike to assuage the plights of citizens.
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has called on the Federal Government to halt the implementation of the new pump price of petrol.
The president of the association, Mazi Afam Osigwe, warned that the development could exacerbate the hardship the citizens are already dealing with.
A statement by the association reads in part, “The NBA expresses its profound concern and strong condemnation over the recent increase in the pump price of fuel by the NNPCL, which has risen sharply from ₦617 to about ₦900.”
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has also called for the immediate reversal of the new price increase in the pump price of petrol.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, September 4, 2024, the NLC president, Joe Ajaero described the development as “traumatic and nightmarish.”
Currently, Nigerians grapple with inflation, unemployment, petrol scarcity, and electricity tariff hikes, and while these subsistent issues compound the plights of the citizens, Nigerians look forward to the minister’s promise on fuel availability.