The House of Representatives has directed the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited and the Midstream Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (MDPRC) to collaborate with security services to end the current petroleum scarcity in the country within the next two weeks.
This was sequel to a Motion of Urgent Public Importance brought to plenary by a member from Niger State, Hon Saidu Abdullahi, on the need for government to immediately bring an end to the scarcity which has lingered on since September 2022.
The lawmaker expressed concern that most filling stations now sell fuel at over N300 per litre.
According to him, those who are gaining from the artificial fuel scarcity appear to be smiling home as a result of the ugly development.
“Generally, there is a hue and cry over this ugly development and unfortunately, those that are charged with the responsibility of taking control of this situation are not doing enough to combat the ugly development. This appears to be a dangerous signal that the Government must tackle without further delay to restore normalcy” Hon. Abdullahi said.
He observed that the lingering fuel scarcity has compounded the woes of Nigerians struggling to survive as prices of goods continue to rise.
He stated that the situation has added to the high cost of living of Nigerians which surged to a 17-year high of 21.09 per cent in October.
Emmanuel Ukoh
