Those behind fuel scarcity want Nigerians to accept privatisation – NLC

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) yesterday said the recurrent scarcity of petroleum products is part of the roadmap designed by forces wishing to hoodwink Nigerians into accepting privatisation of the refineries.

A statement by the President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, insisted that Nigerian refineries should be upgraded and maintained by government.

“We are disturbed by the recurring scarcity of petroleum products, especially the Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), popularly known as petrol, which has caused long queues at some fuel stations while many more have closed, claiming non-availability of the product.

“Nigerians are yet to be told what the cause of the scarcity is. We, however, believe government will not allow any individual or corporate organisations to sabotage its good intentions, as it is obvious the scarcity is a calculated design by petroleum marketers to sell the products at high prices for more profits.

“Petroleum products, especially petrol, is key to our economy, as it is what powers commuters, including workers, offices and businesses. The delays motorists contend with at petrol stations have led to loss of man hours, which have impacted negatively on our economy.

“We, therefore, call on government to intervene by sending out appropriate agencies, especially the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), to enforce sale of the products as some marketers have reportedly been hoarding the products.

“We restate our call for the speedy reactivation of local production of petroleum products as the country will continue to be held hostage by global economic manipulations, if we remain tied to importation of petroleum products even when we have the resources to produce for local consumption and export.”

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