The Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Downstream, Hon. Dakuku Peterside, has lamented the current kerosene scarcity across the country, describing it as a national embarrassment.
He said this in Calabar, Cross Rivers State, when his committee visited the Pipelines and Products Marketing Company, PPMC, and other private oil facilities in the city.
Expressing dissatisfaction, Peterside while addressing officials of PPMC, marketers, retailers and consumers of kerosene, stated that the situation was not only embarrassing, but also a denial of rights of the common man.
“This scarcity is a national embarrassment and with every reported case in any part of the country, we feel diminished as a people. Therefore, we must address it because it is unacceptable. Our people should not suffer; there is no reason to suffer in the midst of plenty”, he said.
“For me, the big question is: where has kerosene been disappearing to despite huge importation by the government?”
He however commended the management and staff of North-West Petroleum and Gas Company, for making kerosene available by going the extra mile. The team which also visited the Calabar office of PPMC assured the public that the current scarcity was only temporary and will soon be addressed.
“We are going to urgently set up a sub-committee to address this issue, I can assure you.” he said.
Chairman of the Independent Marketers, Mr. Michael Udofia, said the government must look into the matter, saying “kerosene is only available in private depots and it is sold to us at very exorbitant prices.”
The Committee also visited the Calabar Free Trade Zone, where Peterside harped on the need for Nigerians to invest more in manufacturing for economic growth.
Earlier, the committee paid a courtesy call on the Governor of Cross River State, Senator Liyel Imoke at the Government House, Calabar.
The Governor commended the committee for its efforts in addressing challenges in the downstream sector of the petroleum industry.
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