…Accuses NNPCL of crass incompetence, profiteering;
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has condemned the crass incompetence of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited which keeps creating unprecedented nightmares and miseries for motorists and Nigerians in the form of artificial scarcity of petrol.
The Rights group alleged that there is a conspiratorial activity going on between NNPCL and petrol markets to maintain constant artificial scarcity of Petroleum products available to members of the public in other to smuggle the products meant for the local market to the neighbouring countries that have no crude oil deposits and whereby fuel is sold at cut throat price particularly since the Central Bank of Nigeria has continued to devalue the Naira as against other foreign denominations.
HURIWA lamented that even when the government bragged that the now incorporated Petroleum company which emerged from the corruption-ridden NNPC has become professionally competent and efficient, yet fuel queues have returned to the Nigeria’s capital, Abuja as residents rush to get the seemingly scarce product even at a higher price.
HURIWA citing media reports and eye witness accounts stated that in virtually all filling stations located in Abuja have become spectacles of sharp practices of fuel hoarding and reselling at the black market directly in front of such fuel dispensing stations just as the products procured in the dead of the night by agents of the fuel stations’ operators now sell fuel for N800 per litre, except for the NNPC retail outlet whose price remained at N617.
Even though most of its retail outlets has remained shut down for some time.
Umaru A. filling station in Lokogoma sold the product at N800 to the long queue of customers which includes both private vehicles, taxis, Kekenape drivers, okada rider and individuals with jerrycans.
HURIWA just like most media reporters observed the spread of ‘black market’ traders, around some filling stations, selling fuel for as high as N10,000 per 10 litre gallons. This is as some filling stations including NNPC retail outlet were shut down.
A long queue was also observed at Chris Tee filling station in Lokogoma, selling at N800 per litre.
Regrettably, all efforts to get a response from the Nigerian Petroleum Company Limited by credible media reporters proved abortive as messages sent to Olufemi Soneye, the chief corporate communications officer have not been answered as of the time of filing the report.
In a statement issued by the National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, the HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has condemned the federal government for letting the NNPCL to routinely subject Nigerians to long ordeals of artificial fuel scarcity in their crooked attempts at profiteering alongside their fellow gang members masquerading as petrol marketers.
HURIWA lamented that Nigerians are too docile to stage protests against the mistreatment of Nigerians by the central and sub-national governments.
