THE Petroleum Product Retails Outlet Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) has charged the Department of State Security (DSS) to investigate cartels operating private depots and hoarding petrol, leading to artificial fuel scarcity across the country.
The Chairman of the Association, System 2E, South-Eastern, Sunny Nkpe made the call on Channels Television on Monday, December 12.
Nkpe said that to solve fuel scarcity in Nigeria, the problem must be traced to the root.
READ ALSO:
Fuel scarcity: IPMAN reiterates subsidy enabling smuggling, long queues, seek deregulation
Fuel scarcity: Marketers buy petrol at over N200 per litre from depots – IPMAN
Lagos residents groan, as fuel scarcity bites harder
Fuel scarcity in FCT: Marketers shifting supply to regions outside N165/l price band
He noted that the ultimatum issued by the DSS to operators in the petroleum sector cannot address the problem.
“There is no amount of threat issued by DSS that is going to change anything. If it must change, they must start from the source. They should go to the private depot operators to find out what is going on because that is where we are getting our products,” he said.
“Until the cartel or cabal in that area is handled or taken care of, we can never get any reduction or fairness in the distribution of the product,” Nkpe said.
He added that there has not been a drop in petrol allocation to the Port Harcourt depot in the last six months.
A former President of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Peter Esele, who also spoke on Channels Television on Monday, called on the DSS to make its findings public, following the expiration of the 48-hour ultimatum it issued last week.
“DSS must tell Nigerians its findings within 48 hours and whoever is behind this should be prosecuted because there are enough products in this country for everybody to get petrol,” he said.
“For DSS to come out and issue an ultimatum, the DSS must be privy to some information. Everyone must focus on the DSS to come out with its results within 48 hours or else, DSS may also be a player in the game.”
Esele said that the system needs to be transparent to ensure constant supply of petroleum.
“Until we make the system better we are not going anywhere.
“These are big-time players and what they know how to do is to make money. So DSS needs to tell Nigerians their findings after 48 hours and they should prosecute perpetrators because I know that there is enough product in Nigeria to make sure everybody has abundant fuel.
“There is no amount of threat issue that will change anything, if it will change it must change from the depot,” he stressed.
Recall that a human right activist and lawyer, Femi Falana has earlier faulted the 48-hour ultimatum issued by the Department of State Security Service (DSS) to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited and oil marketers to end the lingering fuel scarcity in the country.
Stories with punches holding the powerful accountable. His determination to speak out against corruption and influence the conversation in Nigeria, the surrounding region and the continent inspires him.