MINISTER of State for Petroleum, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, has reiterated the commitment of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to end the lingering fuel scarcity in the country this week.Kachikwu gave the assurance during an official visit to the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) in Abuja, on Tuesday.
He said by tomorrow, there would be no queues in Abuja and Lagos filling stations.
“We have to take the right policies to see that things are done well. I hope that Thursday, queues in Abuja must have cleared; hopefully, the same thing will happen in Lagos.
“By weekend, we will see same in Sokoto, Port-Harcourt, Warri and others,” he said.
He called on members of staff of the agency to continue to work diligently to ensure efficiency in the system.
The minister said PPPRA remained a major stakeholder in the regulation of the sector.
Mrs Sotonye Iyoyo, the PPPRA Acting Executive Secretary, commended the minister and solicited his support for the smooth running of the agency.
Iyoyo said the agency was faced with policy, operational and administrative challenges, adding that low capacity utilisation of nation’s refineries, inadequacy of import reception and discharge facilities were some of the operational challenges.
The re-assurance by Kachikwu came as Nigerians lament the attendant consequence of fuel scarcity, causing hike in transport fares.
Ikorodu Garage in Lagos to Ogijo in Ogun State, along the Ikorodu-Sagamu Road, is now N200, instead of N100, while the fare from Ikorodu to Mile 12 hiked to N250, from N150
Inter-state’s fares from Lagos to other states were also affected significantly, as Lagos to Enugu, Onitsha and Owerri which were formerly N3,100, N2,100 and N3,100, respectively now pegged at N3,800, N2,500, and N3,800 respectively.
In Badadry and Seme, only three stations sold petrol with the cost ranging from N200 to N450 per litre.
While the cost of the product ranged between N200 and N220 in Badagry, the product was sold for between N400 and N450 in Seme.
The scarcity obviously affected transportation fares, which had increased by as much as 100 per cent.
A trip from Badagry to Seme, which used to cost N100 by taxi, increased to N200, while Topo to the Agbalata Market increased from N50 to N100.
Commuters in Ibadan, Oyo State, also lamented the hike in price of transport fares as a result of the continued fuel scarcity.
Some of them, who spoke with the Nigerian Tribune on Tuesday, said they paid double for transportation to and from their different business destinations.
The situation was the same at airport, as travellers and other airport users groan, while shuttle operators hiked fares.It was hard times at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, following the increase in transport fares by shuttle operators.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that fares were hiked from N100 to N150 for all destinations within the airport environment, while a journey to Ikeja from the airport cost N200 instead of N150.
At Old Garage area motor park in Osogbo, Osun State, during a visit to the place by the Nigerian Tribune, it was observed that drivers plying Osogbo-Ibadan route who hitherto charged N300 per passenger, now demanded N600.
Similarly, drivers of commercial cars plying the same route now charged N1,000 against the previous fare of N600.
In Ogun, when the Nigerian Tribune visited the popular Kuto and Panseke motor parks, inter-state transport fare had been increased.
Investigations revealed that a trip from Abeokuta to Ikorodu, formerly N1,000, now cost N1,500; Abeokuta to Sango moved from N300 to N500; Abeokuta to Sagamu (bus) which used to be N250 jerked to N400 while same trip inside a car moved from N300 to N500.
In Enugu, during a visit to the Holy Ghost Motor Park, some of the passengers lamented the hike in transport fare.
A passenger said she paid N300 from Enugu to Udi, instead of N150, while another commuter disclosed that he paid N500 instead of N300 earlier charged by motor operators.
This came as transport operators lamented the lingering fuel scarcity in the country and urged the Federal Government to take urgent measures to resolve the crisis.
The operators, who spoke with NAN in Lagos, said the ongoing fuel crisis had become a clog in their regular business operations.
Meanwhile, the Lagos State House of Assembly has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to end the hardship going through by Nigerians.
The call followed a motion raised by the majority leader of the assembly, Mr Sanai Agunbiade and seconded by Mr Segun Olulade, chairman, Committee on Health, under matter of public urgent importance.
Contributing, Mr Tunde Braimoh, Chairman, House Committee on Information, Strategy and Security, described the situation as “embarrassing,” saying the president had all it takes to salvage the situation.
The speaker, Mudashiru Obasa, directed the clerk of the assembly, Mr Ganiu Abiru, to write a letter to the president, urging him to find a lasting solution to the problem.
TRibune
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