The House of Representatives has
expressed displeasure over the lingering scarcity of Premium Motor Spirit,
otherwise known as petrol in the country.
Consequently, the house has asked
the Executive to submit a N800bn supplementary budget to the National Assembly
to offset the debts allegedly owed fuel marketers.
The House Committee on Petroleum
Resources (Downstream) stated in Abuja on Sunday that if offsetting the debts
would end the scarcity, it was the right step to take by the Federal
Government.
The Chairman of the committee,
Mr. Joseph Akinlaja, said the House had come to the conclusion that the
Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation could not handle the importation of
petrol alone and successfully end the current scarcity.
Akinlaja noted that with the
country’s four refineries producing little or nothing to augment the
importation by the NNPC, the scarcity would continue because people would also
continue to exploit loopholes in the distribution chain.
He said reports at the disposal
of the committee suggested that the Independent Petroleum Marketers
Association, Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association and the Major
Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria were collectively owed N800bn by the
government for previous importation.
He said, “This House has passed
several resolutions on fuel scarcity. We have said on countless occasions that
our four refineries must work at full capacity. We have said that if it is N145
per litre, enforcement agencies must be able to enforce the price.
“Now, IPMAN, DAPMAN and MOMAN,
they said government is owing them N800bn; they are no longer importing. Let
the government bring N800bn supplementary budget, we will consider it for this
problem to be over.
“Are we going for full
deregulation? Let the government come out fully to say they want to deregulate.
The House is ready to oblige them on any of these issues to end the scarcity.”
Akinlaja also said another factor
to be considered was the rising price of crude oil, which must naturally affect
the pump prices of petroleum products becauseNigeria was an importer of fuel.
He added, “The way it is, if
crude oil price is going up, that is good for us as a country, because we are
making more money. But, the other side of it is that we also have to pay more
for the imported refined products.
“So, price will continue to be a
big issue as long as we rely on importation.”
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