Fuel scarcity: Reps ask security agencies to clamp down on saboteurs

The House of Representatives has called on security agencies to clamp down on middlemen, hoarders and saboteurs whose activities have caused disruptions and scarcity in the supply of petroleum products.

The Chairman of the House Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream), Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, and the Chairman of the House Committee on Petroleum Resources (Midstream), Odianosen Henry Okojie, made the call at a press conference held at the National Assembly on Wednesday.

Ugochinyere condemned the activities of middlemen who had taken advantage of the short disruption of supply to maximise profit and generate an inordinate gain for themselves to the detriment of other Nigerians.

He said, “We hereby call on security forces to support the NNPCL and other key stakeholders in the distribution value chain to ensure that such acts of economic sabotage that have to do with hoarding, arbitrary increment in price, products diversion and smuggling are detected and dealt with.

“Our people have been through a lot in the last few days, and we must not plunge them into further pains. We appeal to all traders and those rendering services not to unduly take advantage of this temporary challenge which will be cleared in the next few days.”

Ugochinyere disclosed that they had been in touch with the regulatory agencies in the petroleum downstream and midstream sector who assured that the disruption in supply was being addressed.

He further said, “We have on good authority that we have in our storage facilities, at least, about 1.5 billion litres of petrol that can last for 30 days. It is however saddening to note that it is as a result of logistics challenges that the queues have resurfaced.”