Nigerians urge FG on Niger Delta crisis to make fuel readily available

Some Nigerians have urged the Federal Government to work speedily to address the crisis in the Niger Delta region which has led to the sharp rise in the prices of kerosene and other petroleum products.

Nigerians  who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria urged the government to address the issues leading to the higher prices of petroleum products including kerosene, diesel and fuel, saying that it is adding to the current economic hardship of the people.



Mrs Funmi Oyekanmi, a trader and mother of five, feared that the N220 pump price of kerosene would further negatively impact poor Nigerians, who solely depend on the product for domestic use.

Oyekanmi said that she was disappointed at the development, insisting that the situation in the country was not the change Nigerians prayed for.

`` Prices of foodstuffs and other commodities have increased by over 100 per cent saying, “Nigerians now go to bed hungry.”

Mr Tajudeen Busari, a taxi driver at Costain, berated the organised labour and civil society groups, noting that, “labour and civil society groups that Nigerians depended on to fight for their rights have sold out.

Busari said that is why the Federal Government is now getting away with its inimical and anti-people policies.
he said that Nigerians have no alternative than to take their fate in their own hands.
``Nigerians are dying in large numbers as a result of the hardships being inflicted on them by this government, while labour is looking the other way.

Mr Onyemaechi Ifeayin, a computer analyst, however, blamed Nigerians for the development, saying “when people sin, God will raise a wicked king to afflict them. That is what is going on in Nigeria today, so the affliction has just begun.

`` Nigerians must pay for their foolishness in voting for change. A man is not measured by his words, but rather by his actions. Nigerians fell for blackmail, lies and proposed aids, so they must pay for it,’’ he claimed.

However, the Executive Secretary, Depot and Petroleum Marketers Association (DAPPMA), Mr Olufemi Adewole, blamed scarcity of foreign exchange for the hike in pump price of petroleum products.

According to him, the reasons for the hike in price could be attributed to scarcity of foreign exchange. Marketers find it extremely difficult to import kerosene due to huge gap between the official exchange rate and the parallel market rates. 

``For instance, a dollar is selling at N285 at the floating market while it is selling at N368 to a dollar at parallel market. 

``The perfect alternative the country has are the refineries. But our inability to refine kerosene locally also contributes to the hike.

``Not that marketers are not importing but it is not in sufficient quantity. Marketers that bring in products will have to recoup their investment," he said.
 
Investigations revealed that petroleum products that are very relevant to the masses like the Household Kerosene and Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) other called diesel are now selling for above N250 per litre.

Although the price of kerosene and diesel had been deregulated before now, their prices in the past week had shot up by 50 and 28 per cents respectively.