Editorial
NUPENG And The Lingering Fuel Scarcity
A painful scenario that has intermittently punctuated the joyful moments of Nigerians particularly at this period of Yuletide is the recurring decimal of scarcity of petroleum products.
Recent reports have it that the price of premium motor spirit (PMS) popularly called petrol has gone to an all-time high of N150.00 per litre in Lagos State. In Rivers State a litre of petrol is now sold at N85.00 by major oil marketers.
Regrettably, over 75 per cent of the petrol stations in most parts of the country have remained shut to consumers on the popular excuse of non – availability of the product, which are readily available at black market price of between N150.00 and N250 per litre.
Surprisingly, this acute scarcity is coming as the members of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) branch of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) have resumed lifting of product following the suspension of an earlier strike which began last Friday.
Prior to the action of the Tanker drivers, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) had announced that it had about 29 cargoes of petroleum products to check the current fuel scarcity across the country. Yet motorists continued to queue for petrol at the filling stations.
Consequently, a statement by the Group General Manager, Public Affairs Division of the NNPC, Mr. Levi Ajuonuma called on all stakeholders on the petroleum product distribution chain to align with the efforts at ensuring effective and unimpeded distribution of products throughout the Yuletide season and beyond.
Ajuonuma blamed appearances of long queues at filling stations on some extraneous factors which include incessant strikes by workers in the industry and the illegal activities of product marketers who appear to have finally gone ahead of the Federal Government to commence a full blown deregulation of the downstream sector. This claim was also corroborated orated by the Minister of State for Petroleum Mr Odein Ajumogobia (SAN) in a chat with journalists in Abuja.
We are worried that among the glaring obstacles towards a successful celebration of the Yuletide season, is the presorting fuel scarcity which government insists is artificial but without ready solution. It is obvious that without adequate fuel supply, many Nigerians who love travelling at Yuletide would not find it easy to do so.
The situation will also be exploited by commercial motorists and even sellers of other goods and services to hike fares and prices of essential commodities to the detriment of the ordinary Nigerian.
The Tide urges the Federal Government to quickly wade into the situation with the view to restoring normalcy at the filling stations. If FG is bent on deregulating the sector, it must come up with a clear time table that must take into consideration the various palliative measures including the reactivation of the existing refineries. An acceptable time table of deregulation must not be abrupt, but should span through a considerable period of between 12 and 24 months during which the necessary preparations must have been made. A clear time table on deregulation will erase speculations and subsequently hoarding.
The Nigeria National Petroluem Corporation should also consider the immediate decentralisation of its distribution network. For example the mega stations sited at various state capitals could be replicated in other parts of the various states.
While this measures are being taken, we are equally of the opinion that the issue of improved minimum wage for the Nigerian Workers should be expressly considered so that the purchasing power of the average worker can be enhanced to meet the challenges of a deregulated petroleum sector.
Editorial
Making Rivers’ Seaports Work
When Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, received the Board and Management of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), led by its Chairman, Senator Adeyeye Adedayo Clement, his message was unmistakable: Rivers’ seaports remain underutilised, and Nigeria is poorer for it. The governor’s lament was a sad reminder of how neglect and centralisation continue to choke the nation’s economic arteries.
The governor, in his remarks at Government House, Port Harcourt, expressed concern that the twin seaports — the NPA in Port Harcourt and the Onne Seaport — have not been operating at their full potential. He underscored that seaports are vital engines of national development, pointing out that no prosperous nation thrives without efficient ports and airports. His position aligns with global realities that maritime trade remains the backbone of industrial expansion and international commerce.
Indeed, the case of Rivers State is peculiar. It hosts two major ports strategically located along the Bonny River axis, yet cargo throughput has remained dismally low compared to Lagos. According to NPA’s 2023 statistics, Lagos ports (Apapa and Tin Can Island) handled over 75 per cent of Nigeria’s container traffic, while Onne managed less than 10 per cent. Such a lopsided distribution is neither efficient nor sustainable.
Governor Fubara rightly observed that the full capacity operation of Onne Port would be transformative. The area’s vast land mass and industrial potential make it ideal for ancillary businesses — warehousing, logistics, ship repair, and manufacturing. A revitalised Onne would attract investors, create jobs, and stimulate economic growth, not only in Rivers State but across the Niger Delta.
The multiplier effect cannot be overstated. The port’s expansion would boost clearing and forwarding services, strengthen local transport networks, and revitalise the moribund manufacturing sector. It would also expand opportunities for youth employment — a pressing concern in a state where unemployment reportedly hovers around 32 per cent, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
Yet, the challenge lies not in capacity but in policy. For years, Nigeria’s maritime economy has been suffocated by excessive centralisation. Successive governments have prioritised Lagos at the expense of other viable ports, creating a traffic nightmare and logistical bottlenecks that cost importers and exporters billions annually. The governor’s call, therefore, is a plea for fairness and pragmatism.
Making Lagos the exclusive maritime gateway is counter productive. Congestion at Tin Can Island and Apapa has become legendary — ships often wait weeks to berth, while truck queues stretch for kilometres. The result is avoidable demurrage, product delays, and business frustration. A more decentralised port system would spread economic opportunities and reduce the burden on Lagos’ overstretched infrastructure.
Importers continue to face severe difficulties clearing goods in Lagos, with bureaucratic delays and poor road networks compounding their woes. The World Bank’s Doing Business Report estimates that Nigerian ports experience average clearance times of 20 days — compared to just 5 days in neighbouring Ghana. Such inefficiency undermines competitiveness and discourages foreign investment.
Worse still, goods transported from Lagos to other regions are often lost to accidents or criminal attacks along the nation’s perilous highways. Reports from the Federal Road Safety Corps indicate that over 5,000 road crashes involving heavy-duty trucks occurred in 2023, many en route from Lagos. By contrast, activating seaports in Rivers, Warri, and Calabar would shorten cargo routes and save lives.
The economic rationale is clear: making all seaports operational will create jobs, enhance trade efficiency, and boost national revenue. It will also help diversify economic activity away from the overburdened South West, spreading prosperity more evenly across the federation.
Decentralisation is both an economic strategy and an act of national renewal. When Onne, Warri, and Calabar ports operate optimally, hinterland states benefit through increased trade and infrastructure development. The federal purse, too, gains through taxes, duties, and improved productivity.
Tin Can Island, already bursting at the seams, exemplifies the perils of over-centralisation. Ships face berthing delays, containers stack up, and port users lose valuable hours navigating chaos. The result is higher operational costs and lower competitiveness. Allowing states like Rivers to fully harness their maritime assets would reverse this trend.
Compelling all importers to use Lagos ports is an anachronistic policy that stifles innovation and local enterprise. Nigeria cannot achieve its industrial ambitions by chaining its logistics system to one congested city. The path to prosperity lies in empowering every state to develop and utilise its natural advantages — and for Rivers, that means functional seaports.
Fubara’s call should not go unheeded. The Federal Government must embrace decentralisation as a strategic necessity for national growth. Making Rivers’ seaports work is not just about reviving dormant infrastructure; it is about unlocking the full maritime potential of a nation yearning for balance, productivity, and shared prosperity.
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