NLC blames fuel scarcity on FG, marketers

THE Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, yesterday, described as cheap blackmail claims by petroleum products marketers that the ongoing probe into oil sector, especially the subsidy regime by the National Assembly, was responsible for fuel scarcity being witnessed in parts of the country, blaming the scarcity on perceived alliance between the government and marketers.

In a statement, by its Acting General Secretary, Comrade Owei Lakemfa, NLC said it was unthinkable that marketers and the government would contrive to push the price of a litre of petrol  back to N140 under the guise of fuel scarcity.

The statement read in part: “The current artificial fuel scarcity in parts of the country is to blackmail Nigerians into accepting higher fuel prices and pressure the National Assembly  to discontinue the probe into the wholesale fraud in the oil industry.

“The contrived scarcity is an unholy alliance between major oil marketers and various government agencies. The claim by the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria and the Independent Petroleum Marketers of Nigeria that the patriotic probe into the corruption-ridden oil sector by the NASS has created ‘uncertainties’ and loss of confidence by the financial institutions, which has translated into fuel scarcity is ridiculous.

“Banks cannot be scared to work with honest businesses as the marketers are claiming, and the country cannot be blackmailed to allow fraudsters continue to dominate the oil sector.”

“It is unacceptable to the NLC that marketers and the Government will contrive to push the price of a litre of petrol (PMS) back to N140 under the guise of fuel scarcity.

We also assure the National Assembly that Nigerians are solidly behind its probe into the age long theft of our oil wealth and the fleecing of the country through the inflation of the subsidy on fuel. The future of our country lies in our ability, determination and the political will to tackle the endemic corruption that has become cancerous and is threatening our very existence. It is ironic that the very people who contributed to the present state of affairs in the oil industry are those claiming to be sanitizing it by setting up a plethora of committees allegedly to cleanse the industry.

These committees which are mainly political patronage are creating a new bureaucracy in Government and driving up the cost of governance contrary to President Goodluck Jonathan’s January 16, 2012 pledge to the country that the cost of governance will be reduced.”

NLC reiterated that the Jonathan administration had no alternative but to live up to its promise that Nigerians would richly reap the dividends of the fuel price hike, saying “the claims by some government officials that the mass protests organised by Labour and its allies who led to the reduction of a litre of PMS from N140 to N97 has made the fulfillment of the promise impossible is childish.

It is like a dull, in attentive pupil blaming the teacher for his failure. Nigerians are not interested in excuses; they demand and deserve good governance and the dividends of democracy.”