Fuel queues have returned to petrol stations in different parts of Nigeria following the anticipated increase in the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) from the current #163 to #175.
Recall that the Federal Government, through the Minister of State for Petroleum, Timipreye Sylva, had on February 9, while speaking at the official launch of Nigeria Upstream Cost Optimization Programme in Abuja, asked Nigerians to be ready to bear the pains of increased fuel prices due to the increase in crude oil prices on the international market.
Expectedly, the Minister’s position elicited condemnations from different quarters including the Nigeria Labour Congress,NLC, the Trade Union Congress,TUC, the opposition People’s Democratic Party,PDP and majority of Nigerians who queried why the Federal Government would be insensitive to increase the price of petrol at the time citizens and businesses are trying to recover from the devastating economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic which crippled economic activities.
Reacting to the increasing queues at petrol stations across the country due to the expected increase in pump prices, the Deputy National President of the NLC, Comrade Amaechi Asugwuni, while speaking on a Channels Television programme on Tuesday morning, wondered why the Federal government will not make a provision for subsidy in the 2021 budget when they know that none of the four refineries in the country can refine a single litre of petroleum product. He also pointed out that while none of the refineries are functioning at the moment, billions of naira are being budgeted and spent on the refineries without any visible end product, saying that the organised labour will fight on the side of the ordinary Nigerians to stop the federal government from imposing further sufferings on the citizens.
Findings by Daily Episode revealed that most petrol stations like Mobil, Eterna, Oando and FortOil along the Berger-Jabi- Airport Junction axis in the FCT Abuja are currently closed with only a few like AA Rano selling fuel with very long queues of motorists waiting to buy fuel.
Speaking with Daily Episode at AA Rano petrol station along Utako Airport Road junction in Abuja, Mr Anthony Nwoko, a commercial cab operator pleaded with the federal government not to go ahead with the intended increase as the economy is already bad and may worsen the general living conditions of Nigerians due to the adverse effects of the fuel increase on other commodities and services in the country.
Despite the stiff opposition from various quarters to the increase, the Federal Government seems determined to go ahead with the increase implementation with Dr Timipreye Sylva stating that the government has recorded increased revenue due to the increase in the prices of crude oil on the international market and would rather spend the accrued funds on building more people oriented projects than using it to pay subsidies which benefits only a selected few.
As the organised labour and the federal government continue to meet to find a common ground, Daily Episode learnt that the Governors will also convene on Thursday 25 February to deliberate and make their position known on the pump price increase impasse
