PENGASSAN Laments On Frequent Fuel Scarcity, Uniform Pricing

…Urges FG to stop high rate of smuggling of fuel across West African countries

The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has called on all stakeholders in the oil and gas industry to ensure Nigeria ends the recurring scarcity of Premium Motor Spirit, (PMS).

The association accused the marketers of trying to force an increase in the pump price of petrol above the limit approved by the Federal Government.

The President of PENGASSAN, Festus Osifo disclosed this at the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the association in Abuja, the President of PENGASSAN, Festus Osifo, said it was curious and unacceptable a situation whereby non-state actors arrogate to themselves the power to determine the pump price of petrol far above government regulation.

“The persistent shortage of petrol has become a source of pain to the Nigerian people as the current shortages are been perpetuated by players in the downstream sector in order to hike the price far above the government-approved threshold. “It is an added problem when non-state actors begin to arrogate to themselves the power to determine the price of a litre of fuel far above the rate pegged by the government in the current subsidy regime.

“It is more disturbing that the government is equally demonstrating the high level of culpability in the unwholesome situation by its silence and unwillingness to frontally and publicly address the harrowing experiences of Nigerians in the current situation because no concerned and responsive government will bury its head in the sands like the proverbial Ostrich while the citizens are being brutally exploited.”

“We demand that the various security agencies, especially the men of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) charged with manning the nation’s borders, act professionally and in dictate to their oaths of allegiance to stop the high rate of smuggling of the products across the West African countries. “The various depots and other storage facilities, especially those owned and operated by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), should be upgraded and made accessible to all operators to lift the product.