Fuel scarcity: Obi says crisis caused by incompetence

…demands transparency from NNPCL

By Jude Opara, Abuja

The Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general elections, Mr. Peter Obi has called on the federal government to come clean and tell Nigerians all that is going on in the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) owned by the people.
Obi further decried what he described as the continuous running of critical government agencies in secrecy, insisting it is unacceptable.
The former governor of Anambra state who wrote on his X handle on Tuesday said; “Nigerians must stop at nothing to continue their demand for transparency in the operations of government especially critical agencies like the state-owned NNPCL whose activities appear to be shrouded in secrecy.
“The conflicting reports on subsidies have left Nigerians in the dark, unsure of what is happening in such prime tax payer’s company.
“It’s utterly curious that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) which declared a N3 trillion profit in 2023, is coming up with a bizarre claim of “financial constraints” in supplying fuel.
“This is an insult to the intelligence of the Nigerian people and a slap in the face of our suffering citizens.
“The fuel scarcity crisis, characterized by endless queues and untold hardship, is a direct result of the government’s ineptitude. The $20 billion Dangote Refinery’s struggles to secure crude oil supply and NNPCL’s search for outside operators for the refineries are further proof of this administration’s gross incompetence.
“We demand immediate transparency into NNPCL’s operations, financial dealings, and plans for the future. The Petroleum Industry Act mandates an open and transparent NNPCL, and we should not stand idly by while this government violates our laws and mocks our democracy.
“We demand that this administration comes clean on these issues and take responsibility for the mess it has created. We should not rest until we uncover the truth and hold those responsible accountable. The Nigerian people deserve better”.
It could be recalled that the country has been facing a protracted fuel crisis despite the abundance of petroleum resources in Nigeria.us expected Abiodun Faleke to succeed him. When this did not materialize, we hoped that the Yahaya Bello administration would include everyone in its plans. Unfortunately, this was not the case, which led to our eventual departure from the APC.”
Abejide noted that in the 2023 elections, he supported Bola Tinubu, while Nwosu backed the Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi. He pointed out that this difference in political support has long been evident.