The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has said that President Muhammadu Buhari and his APC government want to increase the pump price of petrol in order to fund the 2019 general election.
The main opposition party appealed to the APC-led government not to increase the fuel price which is already N145 per litre.
According to the PDP, the lingering fuel crisis and its attendant black-market costs were only a ploy by the APC to justify their intended hike of petroleum prices.
This was part of the PDP’s statement on Friday, issued by its national publicity secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan.
The statement said, “Any increase in fuel pump price would be an indirect tax on Nigerians to fund APC interests and considering the pains Nigerians have suffered under this inept and unfeeling government, this intended hike will be callous.
“It is now clear to all that this APC- controlled government will never act in the interest of Nigerians. All the actions and policies of APC, in their close to three years in office, have been targeted against Nigerians and there are no signals that they will change.”
“We therefore urge Nigerians to reject this plot to raise the prices of petroleum products even as they gear towards using the next election to end the misrule of the APC,” the party said.
The party added that instead of putting more burden on the people, the APC-led government should come out clear on “sleazes in the oil sector under its watch, particularly the shady oil subsidy payouts and illegal lifting of N1.1 trillion worth of crude using unregistered companies.”
Reno Omokri, former aide to ex-president Goodluck Jonathan says the price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), popularly called petrol will soon be increased.
Omokri on Friday in a series of tweets said the government was ashamed to publicly announce the new price to Nigerians
According to him, Buhari’s government will increase the price because they can no longer pay for subsidy which was earlier called a scam under Jonathan’s administration.
He wrote “The Buhari administration is going to increase fuel price sooner than later. Mark my words.
“The only reason for the delay is that they are ashamed to tell Nigerians that they have been paying the same subsidy they claimed was a scam under Jonathan but can no longer afford to pay.”
Recall that the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr Ibe Kachikwu on Friday denied reports of increment in fuel price to N180.
Ibe Kachikwu, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, has given reason why petroleum marketers allegedly responsible for hoarding fuel during the Yuletide season can’t be punished by government.
The Minister said there was no single evidence that marketers were hoarding petroleum products and as such, they could not be punished.
Kachikwu made the disclosure after a Federal Government delegation led by the Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, Abba Kyari, and fuel marketers as well the heads of the Department of State Services and the Nigeria Immigration Service, and representatives of other paramilitary services met at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Addressing State House Correspondents after the meeting, Kachikwu said the parley was not a fault-finding one but meant to find a lasting solution to the problem of fuel scarcity.
According to the Minister, “This is a major concern that Nigerians should not be made to suffer, that Nigerians do not get through the kind of thing they went through this December.
“We want to find a lasting solution and that is what the committee will come out with in the resolutions tomorrow (Wednesday).
“The thing is even the Nigerians, who have suffered, will want to be sure that we find a lasting solution and find evidential basis upon which to punish people.
“This is a democratic government. I don’t have one (evidence) yet; if you have one, I will like to have it.”
In order to halt the untold hardship presently affecting Nigerians due to the ongoing fuel crisis, the President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, on Thursday, directed the Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream) to cut short its recess and immediately convene a meeting with industry stakeholders.
According to the report by Punch, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream), Senator Kabiru Marafa, revealed this today in Abuja.
Following the directive, the Committee has summoned the Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Mr. Maikanti Baru and other relevant stakeholders in the petroleum sector to a crucial meeting on Thursday, January 4, 2018.
He further added that the meeting, which will be held in the Senate Hearing Room 221 and its proceedings aired live on the Nigerian Television Authority, is meant to address the lingering fuel scarcity bedevilling the nation in the last few weeks with a view to putting a complete stop to the unsavoury development.
The Senate, which is presently on Christmas and New Year break is billed to resume Committee work for budget defence on January 9, and commence plenary on January 16.
Tayo Aboyebi, South-West Chairman of Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), on Monday confirmed that massive loading of petrol was ongoing at different depots in Lagos.
He assured that Nigerians that the current scarcity of fuel would end in the next two days.
“I am glad to tell you that the product is now available and today, being Christmas holiday, tanker drivers are waiting to collect the product.
“Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) is now making use of Major Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN) tank farms to distribute petrol.
“This is to accelerate the product to different locations. As I am talking to you, our members are taking the product out of depots to filling stations across the country.
“To make it quicker, NNPC is also using Folawiyo depot, Aiteo and NIPCO depots and I can tell you that the rate at which loading is taking place now, the crisis will soon be over,” he told NAN.
Atoyebi denied allegation of diversion of the product by his members, adding that such had not been reported to him.
“To the best of my knowledge no such cases have been reported to the union.
“It is not easy to divert the product because petroleum tankers loaded were being monitored to their destinations,” he said.
He urged Nigerians to desist from panic buying, adding that the product was now available.
“Nigerians should not result to panic buying now; petrol is available in depots unlike few days ago when the product was not available.
“The product will be in all filling stations in few day’s time, so buy only what you will use and stop hiding petrol in your house, it is dangerous,” he said.
There was wild jubilation on Monday at Mani Petrol Station, Mowe, Ogun State as the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), sanctioned the owner and instructed him to dispense fuel for free to motorists.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that Head of Operations, DPR office in the state, Kasali Akinade, had earlier visited the station to warn the owner to start selling at the approved pump price.
NAN also reports that DPR officials had to return to sanction the owner because he refused to comply with their earlier directive.
Speaking with journalists, Kasali said it had become imperative for him to make a “scapegoat” out of the station, so as to serve as a deterrent to others around the area.
He wondered why people would want to make life difficult for fellow citizens, saying the department has zero tolerance for such act of indiscipline.
“We got a tip-off that they are hoarding and selling at N220 per liter. We came here and instructed him to start selling at the approved pump price and forgave him for what he did.
“But as soon as we left his station, he reverted back to the old price and even stopped selling. We had to turn back and make a scapegoat out of him.
“This will serve as a deterrent to others because we treated him as a gentleman at first, but he decided to sabotage the efforts of the federal government,” he said.
He advised other marketers to quit short-changing the public, saying if they have any grievances, they should channel it to the appropriate quarters rather than taking it out on the masses.
Some customers who spoke with NAN expressed their joy at the DPR’s intervention, saying they needed such acts while also advising proper monitoring on the part of the authorities.
NAN reports that other stations visited that were hitherto not selling were made to start selling just as those who were selling above pump price were made to revert to the normal price of N145 per litre.
Source
NAN
Fuel scarcity has continued unabated in Rivers State, especially in the state capital, Port Harcourt. DAILY POST reports that many filling stations hoard their products in the day but dispense at exorbitant prices at night.
Meanwhile, in a crackdown to check the situation, the Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR, has sealed off about twenty filling stations in one week.
The affected private filling stations were accused of various offences, including selling products above the government approved pump price, under delivery of products and diversion of products.
Zonal Operations Controller Downstream DPR Port Harcourt, Ibani Frank-Briggs said the affected filling stations will be sanctioned in line with the petroleum laws.
Frank-Briggs assured that the team will continue the monitoring of filling stations in Rivers State even during the festivities period.
“Our officials were out to inspect what filling stations are doing to Nigerians. I can tell you that are product but they keep doing this deliberately to hurt our people.
“We have sealed off almost 20 filling stations in different parts of Port Harcourt for violating our regulation.
“We will continue with this exercise until we achieve results.
“I can assure that all erring filling stations will pay for their crimes,” he said.
Presidency has told Nigerians to report filling stations selling above N145 per litre to Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR.
The government on Sunday provided help line on which Nigerians can share their complaints.
This is contained in a terse statement by President’s Personal Assistant on New Media, Bashir Ahmad
It read: “On #FuelCrisis: You can report any fuel station hoarding or selling fuel above N145 per litre (official price) by calling Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) on 08058298820. Kindly RT.”
Meanwhile, Nigerian government has identified those behind the current fuel scarcity.
Director General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Dr Garba Abari, said the situation was caused by oil marketers.
In a statement on Saturday, Abari said the hoarding is an intentional ploy to force government to increase the pump price of the product.
Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, has accused the federal government of deliberately causing the current scarcity of fuel in the country so as to justify the planned increment of petrol pump price from N145 to N185 per litre.
The governor, who said the federal government, was being insensitive to the plight of Nigerians, added that “petrol is scarce across the country because the federal government deliberately reduced supply since it is only the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) that is importing the product.”
Governor Fayose’s Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, quoted him as saying in a release issued on Sunday, that “Allowing fuel scarcity to persist for over two weeks when Nigerians are preparing to celebrate Christmas and New Year is the height of wickedness on the part of the All Progressives Congress (APC) federal government.
“Funny enough, instead of directing its anger to President Muhammadu Buhari, who is the Minister of Petroleum, on December 7, 2017, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) choose to give the Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr Ibe Kachikwu seven days ultimatum to end the fuel scarcity. Today is December 17, exactly ten days after the misplaced ultimatum was given, the situation has even gotten worse.”
He said “By the time the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) goes on strike as being threatened, the whole country will be shut down and one wonders what will become of Nigerians that desire to move around during the festive season.”
Governor Fayose, who said it was necessary for the federal government to tell Nigerians the truth about the situation of fuel supply in the country, noted that it was the restriction of supply of petrol to NNPC alone that has put Nigerians into hardship.
He said, “It is only the NNPC that is bringing products in; and the result is the scarcity being experienced now. The thinking is that by the time the scarcity persists for like one month, with Nigerians already buying at N200 per litre, the people will jump at it if petrol is increased from N145 to N185 per litre.
“This time, Nigerians will resist any attempt to further impoverish them by increasing the pump price of petrol.”
Ibe Kachikwu, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, on Thursday attributed the ongoing fuel scarcity to shortfall in supply of petroleum products across the country.
He said the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, was making efforts to ensure that queues at filling stations disappeared in a couple of days.
Speaking during a news briefing in Abuja, the Minister assured that there was adequate storage facility for imported products.
Kachikwu added that emergency measures were in place to ensure that the products were available during the Yuletide and post-January.
He said, “Presently, queues in Lagos have reduced. We know that Lagos, Abuja, Benue, Port Harcourt were among the worst-hit areas.
“Benue has been dealt with; Port Harcourt is quite moderated. Apart from these areas, other places in the country are probably liquid.
“The major problem is the gap in terms of volume, because NNPC is the only one importing the product to the country.”
The minister further disclosed that four vessels laden with petroleum products would “berth in a few days and a total of 20 cargoes are also expected with petroleum products’’.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has said that it has put in place measures and facilities to curb gas flaring preparatory to the 2020 flare out deadline by the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR).
A statement from the NNPC said its Group Managing Director, Dr. Maikanti Baru made this submission during a one-day public hearing on Gas Flaring Prohibition Bill 2017, at the National Assembly in Abuja.
Baru who was represented by the Managing Director of the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC), Mr. Yusuf Matashi expressed NNPC’s strong support for the legislation to reduce gas flaring, adding that the Corporation considered the legislation from the financial benefits it promises to capture rather than seeing it from the point of view of penalty.
“NNPC supports the legislative intervention to prohibit gas flaring in line with global best practices, considering its negative impacts on the environment and the communities where the gas is flared. NPDC, the Exploration and Production arm of the Corporation, is going ahead to see that the monetization of flared gas is realized despite the challenges of the past,” Baru stated.
He informed that NPDC was the highest gas supplier to Nigerian domestic market and was therefore committed to the reduction and elimination of gas flaring to generate more revenue for the country.
Earlier, the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, who was represented by the Deputy Majority Leader, Senator Bala Ibn Nallah, while declaring open the public hearing said the issue of gas flaring was a national embarrassment adding that the 8th Senate was committed to enacting a legislation that would end gas flaring in the country.
On his part, the Senate Committee Chairman on Gas, Senator Albert Bassey, stated that the Gas Flaring Prohibition Bill 2017 served as a legislative panacea to end gas flaring in the country.
Source
Daily Trust
The Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has criticised the proposed N5 petrol levy by the Senate, describing it as a huge joke.
Alhaji Tokunbo Korodo, the South-West Chairman of NUPENG, said in Lagos on Saturday that the proposal was ill-timed and also smacked of insensitivity to the current economic hardships facing Nigerians.
He wondered how the nation’s Upper Chamber could think of another fuel price increase when Nigerians were
“striving to cope with the current harsh economic realities”.
“How can the Senate propose such a bill at this particular period when poor Nigerians can hardly feed themselves?
“The prices of foodstuffs have tripled in the market, while workers’ salary has not been increased,” Korodo told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
Sen. Kabiru Gaya (APC-Kano), the Chairman, Senate Committee on Works, had on June 1, presented a bill entitled, “National Roads Bill” to the House.
The bill recommends that Nigerians should pay N5 levy on every litre of imported petroleum products and that levy will form part of the proposed national roads fund.
It also recommends the deduction of 0.5 per cent on fares paid by passengers travelling on inter-state roads to commercial mass transit operators as well as the return of toll gates on federal roads, among others.
Korodo said:
“Just a year ago, the pump price of petrol was increased from N87 to N145 per litre and Nigerians accepted the increment because of the sincerity of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
“Any attempt to adjust the price of petrol under any guise will be resisted by the Organised Labour.”
The NUPENG chief called on well-meaning Nigerians to prevail on the leadership of the Senate to step down the bill.
The Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has given owners of petrol stations hoarding fuel in the state 24 hours ultimatum to resume selling the product to customers or have their Certificates of Occupancy revoked.
A terse statement by his spokesperson, Lere Olayinka quoted the governor as threatening to revoke the Certificates of Occupancy, CoO, of any “Petrol Stations” that fail to heed his order.
The statement reads,
“Governor Fayose has given owners of petrol stations in Ekiti State 24 hours ultimatum to begin to sell fuel to the people or have the Certificates of Occupancy (CofO) of their Petrol Stations revoked.”
President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to intensify oil search in the north-east of Nigeria. The Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr. Maikanti Baru disclosed that the corporation will be escalating exploration activities in the Chad Basin and around Komani River in Bauchi State.
Baru revealed this in Abuja yesterday when he received the Governor of Bauchi State, Barrister Mohammed Abubakar, said NNPC would be working to improve on the findings of oil giant Shell in the area.
While soliciting the support of the state governor to secure pipelines in the state, he assured him that NNPC would work hard to ensure that it meets obligations to the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee on time.
He said: “My team members are all seasoned and they have heard your plea for support for me to deliver in these turbulent waters and definitely they will support me.
“We are committed to collaborate with you and the other state governors to drive all the initiatives that will fulfill the national aspirations as expected from my industry especially energy security.
“Your Excellency, though it is a very difficult time for us, with all the challenges of the leakages that we suffer from infractions of our infrastructure, in terms of pipeline vandalism and theft to be able to meet obligations.
“We will continue to meet these obligations timely and effectively as much as possible. Sir, you know very close home, we have exploration activities on the frontier basin and in the Chad. Also there are some areas close to the Komani River where Shell has made some indicative discoveries of hydro carbon and Mr. President has directed me to go into that area and explore the magnitudes and prospect of those finds”.
He explained that NNPC is “steps to re-strategise and get into those regions, upgrade the frontier exploration to see how they can collaborate with SPDC that is holding block 8 or 9 where some of the finds have been found and also DPR for the other blocks that have not been assigned and work towards improving the prospect of that region”.
Speaking on petroleum products distribution in country, the Baru who hails from Bauchi State said “NNPC is committed to providing adequate petroleum products to all nooks and corners of the country. Since June this year, NNPC has supplied average of 28 trucks daily to Bauchi State which exceeds the 15- truck requirement for the state and we will continue to keep the state wet”.
He therefore asked for the governor’s support in securing NNPC pipelines in the state from Jos through Bauchi State to Gombe, Maiduguri and Yola.
Earlier, Governor Abubakar said the visit was to felicitate with Baru on his recent appointment as head of the national oil company. He said Baru has come into his new position a rich curriculum vitae and expressed confidence that he would succeed in his new assignment.
In this era of buying fuel at N145 per litre, previously sold for N86.50, you might want to save some money fueling your car. check out these tips Focus on these 10 simple tips on saving money on petrol and you’ll be able to free up your cash for other things. These tips work if your car runs on diesel too.
Don’t drive in the rush hour
Getting stuck in a traffic jam is not only energy-zapping, it is also cash-zapping. It is a very expensive way of travelling. Every time you stop and start in traffic, your car needs first gear and a huge amount of fuel to get moving again. Second gear is not much better. The best solution is to not travel during the rush hour. You can also save some fuel by trying to understand what the traffic is doing in front of you, and travelling steadily at a slow speed, rather than accelerating and braking. In a busy city like Lagos, there are now some mobile traffic information apps and radio stations which update you of traffic in almost every area in the city. You could also call a friend who plies same route like you if they have some information about traffic on the route.
Make fewer trips
Did you know that when you drive a car that has been parked for a few hours, the engine is cold and it uses much more fuel for the first five miles or so? Ideally you should combine all your daily errands into one big trip. However, this may not be possible all the time, especially if you have to pop out during the day to take your kids from school, but you could try do shopping while bringing them from school rather than going to the store at a different time.
Close the windows and/or sunroof
It’s not so much of a problem when you’re driving in town, but when you’re out of town or on the expressway and moving more quickly, the shape of your car is very important. Car designers call it aerodynamics and make lots of effort to reduce the ‘drag’ and make the car as sleek as possible. Anything that makes wind noise as your car goes along is actually making your car more expensive to run. You can’t do much about the design of your car, but you can avoid making it worse by not leaving the windows and sunroof open. It’s better to use the air vents for most of the year, and the air-conditioning when it gets too hot.
Remove the roof rack or ski box
This is just like leaving the windows open, but worse. Even if the roof rack is empty, it increases drag and makes your car use more fuel, while a big ski box is like having another car strapped to your roof. The latest roof racks and ski boxes are quick and easy to fit and remove, so make the effort to stow them away when you’re not using them.
Don’t carry around unnecessary weight
Your car is just like your body; it needs more fuel to move around more weight. So, just as you wouldn’t wear a heavy rucksack unless you had to, don’t cart stuff around in the boot of your car unless you need it. Ironically, the heavier the item (the usual culprits are golf clubs and trolleys), the less likely you are to bother taking it out of the boot and the greater the effect it will have on your fuel consumption.
Accelerate smoothly
The perfect way to travel is at a constant speed (ideally around 50 miles per hour), and in the highest gear (five or six). So if you’re a patient driver, you’ll have lower fuel bills — it is as simple as that. It’s unrealistic to avoid overtaking, but there’s little point accelerating past a car to simply be in front of it and then finding yourself at the next set of traffic lights. Any instant gratification will appear on your fuel bill the next time you fill up.
Don’t push the accelerator down too far
This one always surprises people. It’s not just to do with what gear you’re in. You may be in a high gear and travelling at a sensible speed, but if you’re pushing the accelerator down a long way to avoid changing into a lower gear (into third from fourth, for example), then you’re actually using more fuel not less. Obviously, if your car has an automatic gearbox (you’ll know if it does), then it will probably do a better job than you of choosing which gear to be in, so it’s not a problem.
Turn the air conditioning off
It’s tempting to leave the AC on the whole year round. It stops the windows misting up in the winter and you don’t ever need to think about the temperature inside the car, but it uses quite a bit of fuel. Agreed, it’ll be miserly of you to be sweating when you have AC in your car, but when it’s not hot, it’s advisable to turn it off.
Stick to the speed limit
Although not all Nigerian highways have speed limit signs, there are still some which have. If you ignore the speed limit law, you could shave a bit of time off your journey by travelling above the speed limit, particularly on long trips. Even though you might arrive about 20 minutes early on a 200-mile trip by travelling at 80mph instead of 70mph, it’s also a false economy. While the car is running for 20 minutes less, it uses much more fuel when it is travelling. That 20 minutes could cost you a thousand naira plus in fuel.
Check your tyre pressures regularly
The lower the tyre pressure, the more fuel the car needs to move it down the road. It is recommendable that you take five minutes every fortnight to check the tyres. If you’re not sure what the pressure should be, you can normally find the figures near the lock inside the driver’s door.
Source
Telegraph UK || Punch
Citing the need to lighten the burden on consumers, a fuel station in Calabar, Prosperous Oil and Gas Limited has reduced the price of Premium Motor Spirit from N145 per litre to N139. This is coming barely one week after an outlet owned by Basol Petroleum Limited located in the Calabar-South axis of the Cross River State capital had also brought down the unit price of PMS for the same reason.
According to our source, the Group Managing Director of Prosperous Oil and Gas Limited, Mr. Abiodun Isinkaye, said the company was in sympathy with consumers that suffered so much hardship during the period of extreme fuel scarcity. As an independent petroleum outlet, Isinkaye noted, however, that the reduction in price also meant small profit for his company.
“This reduction in price of PMS to N139 per litre is starting with our Calabar headquarters. It will extend to other stations of ours across the country. Loyal customers will also get gifts when they buy fuel. It is meant to ease the burden of consumers,” he said.
Isinkaye also noted that following the removal of subsidy by the Federal Government, there had been steady supply of products to the Calabar depot.
“Subsidy removal is a welcome development. No nation can survive subsiding petroleum products. Unfortunately, most of the fuel subsidized by the government is not consumed by Nigerians and this is a big waste.
“In the past, you see hundreds of trucks loading from Calabar depot to be taken out of the country, but the situation has changed. The bulk of the product which was subsidised by government found their way out of the country. The field is now level for those who genuinely need to invest. Now I am coming down to N139, another can go below,” he said.
In reducing the cost of PMS to N139, Managing Director of Basol Petroleum Limited, Mr. Bassey Sunny-Abang, had noted that the removal of subsidy on PMS had brought about sanity in the depots. He also said that the quantity of tankers loading the product from Calabar depot had dropped since the removal of subsidy.
Source
Punch
A resident revealed that people have been passing the night at filling stations to buy PMS at cut-throat prices.
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