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By Chinelo Obogo
AREWA Youths Assembly has called on Nigerians to join the Federal Government in its efforts to remedy the lingering fuel scarcity situation.
It warned that fuel crisis should not be used as a political tool against those working sincerely for the good of the nation. “All citizens have a part to play by resisting fuel racketeering, panic buying and engaging in acts inimical to economic and security interest of the nation.”
The group, in a statement yesterday added, “while we stand by our fellow citizens in this trying moment, it is important that no group(s), individual(s) take advantage of the situation for political gain and personal aggrandizement.
“At a time such as this, citizens come together when there are genuine efforts to remedy the situation as has been shown by the federal government to assist in ameliorating the situation.”
Arewa Youth Assembly recognised ongoing efforts on several fronts to address the current fuel scarcity and restore normalcy.
“It is further a fact that the government through the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC Ltd), and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), has demonstrated transparency and promoting accountability, sying: “To underscore the seriousness of the situation, the NNPC and other relevant agencies have embarked on Petrol Distribution Surveillance (PDS). The aim of the PDS is to ensure the seamless evacuation of products from mother vessels to depots and trucking from depots to other inland depots as well as retail stations.”
Thr group said it was aware that there was at “present, daily monitoring of trucks out from depots to all 36 states of the nation with focus on demand and existing stock available in the retail stations in these states. The task is being complemented by the deployment of personnel of the Department of State Services (DSS) to effectively monitor truck out and prevent any diversion of products along the way.”
Commenting on efforts by some elements to politicise the fuel scarcity, the group said: “Sadly, the reverse seems to be the case in Nigeria when the main opposition political party wishes to harvest from the common suffering of Nigerians through baseless conspiracy theories and underhand tactics that the present situation is to force Nigerians to accept a new price hike.”
Arewa youths however said in asmuch as they do not support ideas in fuel price, it must be noted that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has caused rise in oil prices, which will lead to hike in price of refined Petroleum products.
It said: “It bears stating too that given the rise in crude oil prices in the global market, the cost of refined products will naturally go up. It is therefore abracadabra politics for the main opposition party and their hire-for-protest civil society friends to suggest otherwise when market forces interplay are obvious.
“Furthermore, we should remember that at the moment, the country’s refineries are undergoing rehabilitation, therefore, we depend solely on imports for PMS supply. So with the high demand of crude and refined products across the world, embargoes against Russia and disruptions in shipping, the expectation that the supply chain would have been fully restored by last week was not achieved as expected.”
It urged the NNPC, Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and security agencies to work round the clock and to ensure that normalcy returns.
