LG Bosses Task Government On Kerosene Distribution

Some local government chairmen in Lagos State have called on the NNPC and Capital Oil and Gas Ltd. to commence the suspended mobile distribution of kerosene to end users in Lagos.

The chairmen told The Tide correspondent in separate interviews in Lagos that NNPC and Capital Oil and Gas Ltd.should sustain the direct sale of the product to households.

Chairman of Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area, Mr. Adewale Ayodele described the government direct sale initiative as a laudable venture that needed the support of all stakeholders for its sustenance.

Ayodele said that residents in Lagos had over the years suffered from shortage of kerosene arising from the product racketeering by some sales outlets.

Our correspondent reports the NNPC through Capital Oil and Gas Ltd. distributed the product directly to people in some local government areas at the height of the shortage in June this year.

“We did not believe that the common man will get kerosene in Lagos with the high price in some filling stations. We saw the good intention of the government through mobile truck dispensing in Lagos.

“We appeal to NNPC and Capital Oil and Gas to resume and ensure the sustainability of the direct sale to the people initiative,’’ he said.

Mr Gbolahun Bagostow, Chairman of Somolu Local Government Council, said the “kero-direct programme” should be re-launched to move the country forward.

He said that direct dispensing of kerosene curtailed artificial scarcity during the period and saved costs from exorbitant prices at filling stations, adding that direct distribution of kerosene was the most popular fuel distribution method for the masses.

“Direct distribution of kerosene provided succour to residents in some local government areas which have suffered so much because of the product shortage.The programme was appreciated by the communities. We will ensure that everybody gets equal quantity of kerosene at N50 per litre as directed if it is re-launched,’’ he said.

Bagostow said that over 1,300 residents of Somolu and its environs bought kerosene from the mobile trucks during the last exercise, pointing out that the council would ensure that the trucks were adequately protected and mechanism put in place to ensure nobody bought more than 25 litres at a time.

Chairman, Epe Local Government Council, Mr. Olusegun Agbaje appealed to the government to extend the direct sale of kerosene to Epe and its environs, saying that the NNPC/Capital Oil direct sale scheme was to alleviate the sufferings of Nigerians.

“The scheme will afford the people easy access to the product and reduce the use of charcoal and firewood in the rural areas.

It would be recalled that the direct sale of kerosene, a joint project of the NNPC and Capital Oil and Gas, was organised in response to kerosene scarcity in the country. The initiative was condemned by the Surface Tank Kerosene Dealers Association and Peddlers. Kerosene scarcity has now hit Lagos and its environs again as the country prepares for the Christmas period.

The Tide investigation reveals that a litre of kerosene now sells for between N130 and N180 in some filling stations and long queues have resurfaced at the filling stations and many buyers have resorted to black markets where a litre goes for about N200 instead of the N50 official pump price.