Queues at Stations: Oil marketers causing artificial fuel scarcity, as security agents discover 144 hidden tankers filled with product
*As Lawyer points out difference between North, South over patriotism
*Tells how North enjoy Nigeria due to patriotism but not so of South
This revelation happened as concerned Nigerians in Ogun State made a call on Friday through The DEFENDER to the government that, “If you say there is enough fuel to take us through the yuletide, then it means there must be some saboteurs somewhere, then only you the government can find them out not we the ordinary citizens. Please help us fish out those thieves who take normal supply of product from depots only to divert them thereby subjecting us to endless wait at filling stations in Abeokuta, Ogun State here,” one of them appealed on Friday.
Information available to The DEFENDER has it that causes of sudden queues that resurfaced at some filling stations in parts of the country may have been exposed as security agents and Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) monitoring team have discovered 144 trucks of petrol not streamed by some marketers in Kano.
The NNPC Group General Manager, Public Affairs Division, Ndu Ughamadu, in a statement in Abuja on Friday, disclosed that the fuel tankers meant to be supplied to ease the vehicular of many Nigerians in Katsina and Kano states were found by security agents hidden with intention to hoard the contents.
This revelation happened as concerned Nigerians in Ogun State made a call on Friday through The DEFENDER to the government that, “If you say there is enough fuel to take us through the yuletide, then it means there must be some saboteurs somewhere, then only you the government can find them out not we the ordinary citizens. Please help us fish out those thieves who take normal supply of product from depots only to divert them thereby subjecting us to endless wait at filling stations in Abeokuta, Ogun State here,” one of them appealed on Friday.
In his statement, the NNPC’s Ughamadu stated that the team that discovered the hidden oil tankers was set up to rapidly end petroleum products supply gaps in parts of the country.
He noted that the hoarded products were meant to feed Kano and its environs.
He added that “sequel to the discovery, resurfaced trucks have been sent to discharge their products at designated locations.
”Of the 144 trucks discovered, 26 were for Katsina, while 118 trucks were to discharge their products in Kano and its environs.
”NNPC warns marketers across the country to desist from acts that may heighten supply gaps noticeable in some remaining parts of the country.
“Security agencies have been detailed to go on the trail of any marketer who may be hoarding products.”
The spokesman added that the corporation’s monitoring team had also affirmed, after combing Abuja, that fuel queues had disappeared in the Federal Capital City.
Reacting to the development Friday night, a lawyer, speaking from Akure, who asked not to be mentioned, said, “What I have discovered is that this country is miles apart in terms of commitment to patriotism. In the North, it is always easy to discover the evil of the evil ones because the people believe that only by their cooperation government function well to their favour and it is the reason it seems the North enjoy Nigeria better than other parts of the country. They don’t collaborate with indecency. This is a statement of fact that anybody faulting me over must do with superior fact!
“Just look at it now, queues in that part of the country where the thieves that hoard fuel thereby causing hardship to their people so as to swindle them of their hard earned money will now vanish. But in Ogun State and parts of South West, where people are still crying of fuel scarcity, how much effort have our people made to even ask questions why the scarcity if all the tankers, which we read in the papers queue daily at Apapa thereby causing serious traffic issues for other users of roads in that area, have been taking fuel out of the place and our oil marketers still don’t sell fuel to us, then where have they been taking the products they lift from Apapa to? Do we ask such questions? No. And no because here in the South particularly South West, we are more interested in picking at faults particularly of government so that we can make agitations rather than being part of efforts on identifying and tackling those faults or problems,” the lawyer spoke apparently angrily.
