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FG, Marketers Trade Blame : Pump Price Now N300 In Rivers …NNPC Is Lying, Petrol Not In Our Tanks – DAPPMA …Its FG’s Christmas Gift To Nigerians -Rivers PDP
Despite the Federal Governments’ efforts to ameliorate the pains, hardship and suffering of motorists in getting access to affordable Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) otherwise called petrol at filling stations across the coutry, the situation has remained unabated as The Tide investigation revealed.
To make the matter more complicated, the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association (DAPPMA) yesterday, expressed concern over the inability of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to send petrol to its members’ depots.
DAPPMA’s Executive Secretary, Mr Olufemi Adewole in a statement in Lagos, yesterday urged NNPC to help the Association so as to alleviate the suffering of Nigerians.
“Our members’ depots are presently empty. However, if the PPMC/NNPC can provide us with petrol, we are ready to do 24-hour loading to alleviate the sufferings of Nigerians and for the fuel queues to be totally eliminated.
“We, petroleum products marketers, do empathise with all Nigerians who are going through difficulties at this time by spending hours on fuel queues because of the current fuel scarcity due to no fault of theirs.
“DAPPMA members import about 65 per cent of the nation’s total fuel consumption, Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN) imports about 15 per cent and PPMC/NNPC import the balance of 20 per cent.
“However this scenario changed drastically due to several challenges faced by marketers,’’ he said.
The DAPPMA official claimed that their members pay PPMC/NNPC in advance for petroleum products.
He said fully paid-up petrol orders which have neither been programmed nor loaded is in excess of 500,000MT (about 800,000,000 litres).
“As at today, there is enough petrol to meet the nation’s needs for 19 days at a daily estimated consumption of 35,000,000 litres.
“Sadly, some people have blamed marketers for hoarding products. Unfortunately, this is far from the truth.
“Hoarding is regarded as economic sabotage and we assure all Nigerians that our members are not involved in such illicit act.
“While all kinds of allegations have been made in the media, it is important to set the records straight, as Nigerians first, and as responsible business men and women who employ Nigerians.
“As it stands today, NNPC has been the sole importer of PMS into the country since October,’’ Adewole said.
He said the current import price of petrol is about N170 per litre, with NNPC, which absorbs the attendant subsidy on behalf of the Federal Government, as the importer of last resort..
Adewole said the exchange rate of the dollar to the Naira is N306 for petrol imports and the interest rate Nigerian banks charge is above 25 per cent.
“The international price of petrol went up during the period of Hurricane Katrina and it has not dropped below USD$600/MT since then
“Landing cost of PMS in Nigeria is above N145 per litre which means any of our members that imports will have to resort to subsidy claims, a policy already jettisoned by the government.
“It is on record that any time NNPC assumes the role of sole importer; there are issues of distribution, because it is marketers who own 80 per cent of the functional receptive facilities and retail outlets in Nigeria.
“While we cannot confirm or dispute NNPC’s claim of having sufficient product stock, we can confirm that the products are not in our tanks and as such cannot be distributed.
“If the products are offshore, then surely it cannot be considered to be available to Nigerians,’’ he said.
Adewole however assured that fuel marketers remain committed to the progress of the nation and its citizenry as therein lies their own profitability and fulfillment.
In Rivers State, long queues were still witnessed across filling stations in the state. A visit by our reporter to Bori in Khana Local Government Council on Christians Day revealed that motorists buying petrol at N300 per litre at the Barbizon filling station.
Speaking to The Tide, Mr Baride Leezor, a motorist said he has no option than to buy at that rate to fill his car tank and transport passengers to Port Harcourt from Bori.
Manager of the filling station, Mr ThankGod Kpeewa, said that the marketers are not to be blamed, rather the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) should be held responsible for the scarcity being experienced across the country.
He said that petroleum products, are now available at the Port Harcourt Refinery Alesa-Eleme for loading, stressing that independent marketers are struggling to get product from private tank farms.
At Bluebet Filling Station on the Bori-Eleme Expressway, the story was the same as motorists were buying fuel at N300 per litre, even as The Tide saw that many filling stations were closed down.
When The Tide visited the Saba Filling Station was selling the petroleum product at N250, per litre, also Liopec filling station on Oyigbo Road sold at N250, per litre.
However, the NNPC Mega filling station was selling at N143 per litre.
A motorist, Mr Ibe Emmanuel who speak to our correspondent said he came to the station since 4.30am to queue till 10.30am when he eventually bought the product.
Ibe called on the authorities concerned to come out with a better policy of handling the situation as Nigerians were going through pains, and hardship during Yuletide.
A litre of fuel now sells for N250 in most filling stations owned by the independent petroleum product marketers in Enugu and environs.
The Tide source who visited the filling stations in the city on Sunday observed that the product was sold for N250 per litre.
It was however observed that the product was available in abundance in the filling stations though sold above the government regulated price of N145 per liter.
The Tide source said that the product was still sold for the official price of N145 a litre in Total, Oando and NNPC filling stations as well as the filling stations of other major marketers.
The Manager of one of the independent marketers’ filling stations in New Layout, Mr Chidi Ugwu, said the increase in price was due to the recent difficulty in getting the product from the Port Harcourt depot.
“When the supply at the Port Harcourt depot normalises, the price will gradually return to normal,’’ Ugwu assured.
In its reaction, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in Rivers State, described the hike in petroleum price and its immediate effect of increase in transportation fare, as the Christmas gift which the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government has given to Nigerians.
This was just as travellers in the state for the Yuletide had expressed frustration caused by the hike in fuel pump price and the 100 percent increase in the transportation.
Rivers State Publicity Secretary of PDP, Samuel Nwanosike, who spoke yesterday in Ikwerre Local Government Area of the state, on the heels of the hike, said the fuel crisis witnessed across the country was a calculated attempt by Federal Government to punish Nigerians during the festive period.
Nwanosike said: “The long queues we see today at our filling stations, and the hike in the price of fuel and increase in transportation, are indications that this present administration has failed Nigerians.
“After Nigerians voted for them, they have given us pain and hardship as gift when we are to celebrate. There is hunger and suffering in the land and the people are not happy. Nigerians are hungry and in pain”.
He, however, noted that the economy of the State needs serious attention and commended Governor Nyesom Wike, for being prudent in the management of resources.
According to him, Governor Wike has brought tremendous infrastructural development across the State, with people-oriented projects.
Meanwhile, Nigerians have called on President Muhammadu Buhari to deal decisively with those responsible for the current scarcity of petrol.
Some of the Nigerian, who took to their twitter handles, prayed the president to punish those who, by their actions or inactions, caused the ongoing scarcity.
Replying to a Christmas Day message from President Muhammadu Buhari on his twitter handle @MBuhari, some of them particularly called on the president to sack any of his appointees responsible for the ongoing hardship.
Buhari on Christmas Day wrote on his handle: “I wish all Nigerians Happy Christmas celebrations.
“As I noted yesterday, the fuel scarcity that has caused many of you to spend this period on fuel queues is deeply regretted. All relevant agencies of government are working round-the-clock to bring relief to you.
But his message was greeted with negative replies, some calling for his resignation as petroleum minister, urging him to reshuffle his cabinet and take on more productive ministers.
They urged Buhari to quickly do something to redeem his government and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in line with all its campaign promises.
A twitter user, Victor Lawal, with handle @Vlawal, said that the president should stop apologising for the long queue occasioned by petrol scarcity and sack non-performing appointees.
“Oga please stop giving excuse. Who have you fired? The #FuelScarcity is primarily a failure of your government and until heads roll, I have stopped taking you serious. No difference between you and previous governments.
For Charles Ameh, with twitter handle @engrameh, he believed that the only solution to the problem of scarcity of petrol was for there to be consequences for failures.
She wrote: “How can the country move forward when there is never consequence for failure and ineptitude? How many Ministers have really delivered in their role?
“Under your government, the consequence for failure is to keep the job and keep failing. This is shameful.
Another user who goes by the name Process Advocate on twitter also reiterated that there was need for non-performing employees and appointees of the president to be sacked.
She wrote: Baba, we voted for you to change the way things are done in NIG. You have indolent and incompetent array of staff, but can’t change them. Your appointees mess your government up but it’s ok by you. No price for incalculable damage they do. We can no longer defend these.
For another user Oluwatobi John, he prayed the president to make the agencies work by setting up effective rewards and punishment systems.
Sir, please make these agencies work. Let’s have true consequence or reward system in this country. Some persons are responsible for our pains at the moment, so let us see someone or some individuals punished for this troubles.
Philip Okparaji
Letters
Ban On Christians Fellowship In Universities
If the story making the rounds on two Nigerian universities being sued for allegation of their ban on Christian fellowship in the campus is anything to go by, then Nigeria is in for another trouble.
According to the story, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Katsina State branch, in conjunction with an American conservative Christian legal advocacy group, Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF International), has instituted an action against two universities in Katsina State for indefinitely banning Christian groups from holding fellowship meetings and worship on campuses.
The suit was said to have been filed against the two universities for violating the right to religious freedom by “indefinitely prohibiting” Christian groups from holding fellowship meetings and worship on campus.
The Christian legal advocacy group further alleged that one of the universities enforced the ban by locking all worship and fellowship centre on university grounds, preventing Christian students and groups from accessing the facilities and banning them from meeting for worship and fellowship elsewhere on campus while their Muslim counterparts at both universities have been permitted to hold worship and fellowship meetings in university-constructed worship and meeting spaces.
Recall that in 2017, there was a news report on the outlaw of any other religious or tribal association on campus besides the Muslim Students Society of Nigeria by the authorities of the Umar Musa Yar’Adua University, Katsina, Katsina State. A circular credited to the institution’s acting Dean of Student Affairs, Dr. Sulaiman Kankara, which was later disowned by the university, contained the directive.
The last time I checked, Nigeria is a democratic, circular state where every individual is free to practise any religion of her choice. Section 38 of the Nigerian constitution provides: “Every person shall be entitled to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, including freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom (either alone or in community with others, and in public or in private) to manifest and propagate his religion or belief in worship, teaching, practice and observance.”
It is therefore wrong for a public university to indulge in this discriminatory act. A university is supposed to be an intellectual environment where people should be allowed some level of freedom. There must be robust fellowship and inter-faith relationship. People must be able to relate with each other without any discrimination or stigmatisation.
Knowing how delicate issues on religion are in Nigeria, one hopes that the authorities of the institutions concerned should swiftly look into the report and retrace their steps. The court should be objective in deciding the case and give students of other religions some leverage of freedom. It must be stated that the judgment on this case should not be delayed to avoid any retaliation in other parts of the country.
We already have a lot of issues to deal with in the country. Adding a religious crisis to it could be disastrous. Any university established and funded by either the federal, state or local government, should have freedom of religion. Let there be no more trouble in the country, please.
Waheed Abiodun,
Victoria Street,
Port Harcourt Township.
The NIMC, NCC Partnership
Reports have it that the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) and Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) disclosed that they have partnered to enhance seamless linkage of National Identification Number-SIM across the federation.
Both Commissions said that in recognising the significance of this initiative in enhancing security and improving service delivery, they were committed to improving processes and enhancing efficiency.
This is a welcome development. It has been worrisome why Nigerians should be made to go through the rigorous process of linking their National Identification Number (NIN) with their phone numbers every now and then. Some people who engage in online transactions have recorded some losses over the past few weeks as some internet providers barred their lines due to their inability to successfully do the linkage.
Two weeks ago, I went to a High Court for an official engagement and was shocked to see the number of people seeking to get court affidavits for the linkage of the NIN with the phone numbers so that their line will be unbarred.
It is therefore hoped that the NIMC, NCC partnership will remove all the bottlenecks surrounding the Nin, SIM linkage and make the process very seamless. It is also hoped that this will be the beginning of the process of proper identity management in the country and gradual collapse of all the various forms of identification – Drivers Licence, Voters Card, NIMC card. Bank cards etc into one identity card so that one would not have to be moving around with loads of identity cards.
Ebele Ubani,
Jabi, Abuja.
The Unwanted Strike
Just when the students of Nigeria public universities are rejoicing that there had been a no interruption in the universities’ academic calendar for sometiime, the news about the warning strike by the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, (SSANU), broke.
The Joint Action Committee of the two organisations had directed members to commence a seven day warning strike last week, following the federal government’s inability to pay their four months’ withheld salary.
I do not even understand why the government should allow labour unions to down tools before acting on their demands. Did President Bola Tinubu not direct that university workers that were on prolonged strike in 2022 and their salaries stopped by the Muhammadu Buhari’s administration after the invocation of “No Work, No Pay” policy, should be paid four months of the withheld salaries?
Have members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) not been paid in line with the president’s directive? Why were SSANU, NASU and unions concerned not paid? These bodies issued an ultimatum to the federal government. Why was there no effort to address their grievances within the window period?
It is said that what is good for the goose is also good for the gander. So, the government, having paid ASUU, should also endeavour to settle SSANU and NASU so that there shall be no interruption in our academic calendar. We did no wrong by choosing public universities. Government, ASUU, SSANU, NASU and what have you should let us learn in peace and graduate at the record time like our colleagues in private universities, please.
IB Michael,
University of Port Harcourt,
Port Harcourt.
Letters
Obi Should Do More, Discordant Tunes On Minimum Wage, Akpabio’s Unguarded Comment
Obi Should Do More
The Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election, Mr Peter Obi, has continued to voice out his opinion on the happenings in the country. On the budget padding scandal currently rocking the upper chamber of the National Assembly, he has told the Senate to provide Nigerians with some explanations on the matter.
He said the claims and counter-claims over the alleged N3 Trillion which was alleged by Senator Abdul Ningi to have been padded into the 2024 budget, requires proper explanation as to what Nigerians must need to know regarding management of the nation’s, insisting that the suspension of Senator Ningi for three months does not address the issue.
The Labour party chieftain had also expressed his concern over the hunger in the country a few days ago. He raised the alarm that Nigerians were spending all their money on food.
It is commendable of Obi to have stood with the masses at this critical time in the nation’s history and be critical of negative happenings in the country and bad government policies. However, Obi should do more than just criticising. It is said that “a tree cannot make a forest”. Therefore, Obi should galvanise all the law makers both on the national and state levels to tow the same line with him, which should be seen as the position of the Labour Party.
In 2023, there was a revolution in the country. People of all walks of life, of various religions and tribes trouped out in support of the labour party because they believed in Mr Peter Obi. People saw the Labour Party as a needed alternative to the two most populous political parties, PDP and APC. Based on Obi’s personality and popularity, some people who ordinarily would not have won councillorship positions in their communities were elected into state and national assemblies. Many of them won the elections for free, spending no shi shi.
Painfully, after assuming the exalted positions, many of them, especially those in the national assembly seem to have forgotten the masses. It is now business as usual. Among the seven senators and 36 House of Representative members of the Labour Party in the National Assembly, which one of them has moved a strong motion about the hardship currently being faced by the masses and how to address it? How many of them stood by Senator Ningi on the budget padding revelation? What out the exotic cars distributed to them, how many of them advised that they should go for less expensive cars and the excess money channelled into developmental projects? It has become a case of one not talking while on the dining table, right?
Obi should be able to organise his party to form a formidable opposition and a party that does things differently, a party that stands with the people. If the labour party elected political office holders carry on the way they have done since they came into office, they will keep de-marketing their party, forgetting that 2027 is just around the corner.
Ngozi Omeje,
Umuahia, Abia State.
Discordant Tunes On Minimum Wage
I have followed the discussion on the proposed new minimum wage with keen interest and I just hope the leadership of the organised labour will be firm enough to represent the workers and refuse to fall prey to the ploy to disunite them.
It is disheartening seeing workers come up with different amounts as the proposed minimum wage. While the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, demanded that South-West states should pay N794,000 the Trade Union Congress, TUC, asked for N447,000. Similarly, workers in the Federal Capital Territory demanded N709,000, while their counterparts in the North-West clamoured for N485,000.
This idea of singing in discordant tunes is not good for strong unionism. I recall my days as a civil servant in Ibadan, Oyo state. That was during the time of Adams Oshiomhole as the National President of the NLC. The labour union was a force to be reckoned with and whenever the workers barked, the government caught cold. The increase in workers’ wages was fought for as body. There was nothing like federal workers going to the left and the state workers going to the right. Of course then, in 2000, the TUC did not exist as a separate body. The entire workers spoke in unison.
Yes, the states did reserve the right to say whether they can pay the national minimum wage or not but the national body of the NLC was carried along in the negotiation. Please, the NLC and TUC should come together and present a common front in the new minimum wage quest and ensure that workers in the states also get a fair deal. If not, some of the greedy governors will continue to subject the workers to hardship.
Pa Micheal Adeniran,
Rumuogba Housing Estate, Port Harcourt.
Akpabio’s Unguarded Comment
“Today, he’s responding to a remark by the Governor that has nothing to do with him. The opposition is urging the Senate president to be mindful of his utterances. How can he turn the burial of late Access Bank CEO, Herbert Wigwe, wife and first son, such a sad moment, to a political attack?. It’s disappointing. That’s political recklessness taken too far. We, the opposition parties, won’t tolerate such utterances anymore if it continues.”
Above was the response of a member of the House of Representatives and Chairman, House Committee on Petroleum (Downstream), Hon. Ikenga Ugochinyere, to the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, unguarded remark on Gov. Siminalayi Fubara’s comment during the burial of the late Access Holdings Plc GCEO, Herbert Wigwe, wife and first son last weekend.
It is hoped that Akpabio will heed to the advice and learn how to talk in public. Tracing his character as a public servant and political office holder in various capacities over the years, one would notice that the senate president lacks the act of public speaking and carriage.
Was it not recently that he announced that the clerk of the house had sent money to each of the senators’ personal account for their holiday enjoyment only to be called to other and he changed it to ”In order to allow you to enjoy your holiday, the senate president has sent prayers to your mailboxes to assist you to go on a safe journey and return.” What about the “honourable minister off your mic” shameful display.
Whoever wants to die seeking public/political office should go ahead but leave our dear governor alone.
Loveth Opusunju
Minima, Opobo, Rivers State.
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Fubara Promises Rivers Support For Wigwe Varsity …Cautions Political Class On Power Tussle
Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has promised the state government’s commitment to supporting Wigwe University.
Fubara disclosed this on Saturday after the funeral service of the late Chief Executive Officer of Access Holdings Plc, Herbert Wigwe, in Isiokpo, Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State.
Wigwe, alongside his wife, Doreen, and son, Chizzy, died in a helicopter crash in California near the Nevada border, United States of America.
Also involved in the crash was the Chairman of Nigerian Exchange Group Plc, Abimbola Ogunbanjo.
The governor said, “I want to say our brother has finished his work, though short. We, as a government, will do everything with the Wigwe Foundation to immortalise one thing.
“It is not the bank, the bank might have a new identity, a new boss to run it, other ventures will also have their names; but one thing that has his name is Wigwe University.
“We will do everything within our power to make sure the dream will continue to live just as he has planned it.”
Fubara questioned the mourners as to why they kept chasing worldly desires, stressing the significance of impacting lives rather than struggling for power.
“This one has to do with the political class, what is all these struggle all about? You want to kill, you want to bury, what is it all about?
“This is a man who was not a politician, he made his money through our investments, he had the world in his palm financially, he controlled even the political classes; but today, with all the power financially couldn’t control life. Is it not enough to ask ourselves why are we struggling? Why are we not making an impact on the lives of our people?” he queried.
Dignitaries present at the funeral service include the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio; Chairman, Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote; former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria , Sanusi Lamido; Governors Alex Otti (Abia) Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), and Babajide Sawwo-Olu (Lagos).
Other dignitaries are former governors Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti), Peter Obi (Anambra), Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers), Bukola Saraki (Kwarra), and James Ibori (Delta), among others.
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