While speaking at a meeting with the Senate Committee on Petroleum on Tuesday, Minister of State for Petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu, apologized to Nigerians for his comments last week that the current petrol scarcity will continue till May, and that only 'magic' could bring a quicker end to the crisis that has already stretched beyond a month.
It can be recalled that he told journalists last Wednesday at the presidential villa that he had no 'magic wand' to make fuel available overnight, and that the scarcity may persist for two more months as oil produced in the refineries would not be sold but kept in a 'strategic reserve'.
"One of the training's I did not receive is that of a magician, but I am working very hard to ensure some of these issues go away. So it is quite frankly sheer magic that we even have the amount of product at the stations. We are looking to see how to get foreign exchange input," Kachikwu had said.
The minister has now apologized after coming under fire for his comments and drawing scathing criticisms from many Nigerians, including APC leader, Bola Tinubu, who said the comments were 'insulting' to the Nigerians facing hardship daily to get petrol.
He also assured that fuel queues will disappear across the nation by April, adding that while fuel scarcity will definitely' end by April, Nigerians may have to wait till May for 'major revolution' in the availability of the products.
Explaining why there is no immediate solution to the fuel scarcity, Kachikwu said 90 per cent of Nigerian depots were not functional.
"Most fuel products into Nigeria come from Europe and it takes 14 days for fuel to land here," he said.
On how to improve the productivity of the depots, he said the government would engage consultants to manage the depots and that advertisement to engage the consultants for management of the depots would start soon.
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