By Tunde Sholanke
Energy Consumers Rights Association (ECORA) has described the current fuel scarcity in some parts of the country as an act of sabotage designed to frustrate the efforts of Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to ensure adequate supply in Nigeria.
The group in a statement by Dr.Mustapha Ahmed Bala,its President and Mrs Mary John Awe,Secretary General, revealed that the problem of fuel scarcity, until recently considered a thing of the past, reared its ugly head again barely few months to the country’s general elections.
“Some of our members sent to some states for on-the-spot assessment of the fuel supply situation at selected filling stations , discovered that most filling stations in rural areas have fuel, while in state capitals, there are some places without queues and others with queues, an evidence that , it’s a case of clear sabotage.
The group commended the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC limited ,Eng. Mele Kyari for not bowing to antics of petroleum products marketers, who have wittingly adjusted upward the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit(PMS) also called petrol.
Lauding the national oil company for maintaining the pump price, it reiterated that:”Those who have increased pump price are all scrupulous profiteers, who don’t care about the economic implications on consumers “.
Speaking on issue of the discovery of oil in northern Nigeria, the group commended Kyari for breaking the jinx of more than five decades of exploration without success.
The statement said: “The discovery of oil in commercial quantity and subsequent exploration of the oil in Bauchi, Gombe and Nasarawa states respectively will no doubt lead to increased job opportunities; industrial growth and emergence of new refineries.As group of consumers , we are happy to be associated with NNPC limited because, of the short and long term economic implications, which suffices to say, “The country can now generate more revenues from oil for sustainable growth and development.
“Since the information about discovery of oil in northern parts of the country, it observed that some persons have started undermining Kyari for no just reasons .We expect these people to know that rather than making attempts to undermine Kyari’s proactive efforts to rescue our oil sector, such should acknowledge him for two things that distinct him from past Chief Executives of NNPC: First frantic efforts to clamp down on oil thieves and secondly, the discovery of oil in northern Nigeria”