The Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream), has said its initiatives aimed at ensuring part payment of about N800 billion debt owed oil marketers in the country has put an end to fuel scarcity in the country.
The chairman of the Senate panel, Kabir Marafa, stated this in an interview with our correspondent on Wednesday.
He explained that the various reforms put in place by the current administration in the sector would have been frustrated if the oil marketers had embarked on strike last week.
Marafa said the timely intervention of the Senate panel when the marketers alleged that the Finance ministry was not putting necessary measures in place to pay save the country from another round of fuel crisis during the festive season.
He said, “The implication of our committee’s action is that all the loopholes that could be explored to cause fuel crisis in the country now or in the future, had been blocked.
“The oil marketers withdrew their threat to embark on strike because of our committee’s timely intervention. The government has responded to their request.
“The Federal Government has started paying them even before we went on Christmas break. The entire amounts that were verifiable had been paid. The balance would be paid very soon.
“Government has also provided, through the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, adequate petroleum products that can last the nation throughout the festive season and beyond.
“Our fears have always been on fuel queues resurfacing during this season in the past when depots would be shut down and that could lead to scarcity. The remaining debt owed the oil marketers would be paid very soon.
“Our committee has instructed the Federal Ministry of Finance to complete the computation and come up with the exact figure once and for all. We have held a series of meetings with the Finance minister with the Permanent Secretary and other top officials of the ministry in attendance.
“We were in agreement that the issue be dealt with once and for all. They have promised to complete all the computation before we would resume for the Christmas break.”
Members of the Depots and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria had on December 9, threatened to stop the loading of petroleum products across its depots as a result of the failure of government to pay their outstanding subsidy debt.
But it suspended its threat on the second day and gave the Federal Government a five-day grace to pay part of the outstanding debt.
Meanwhile, some residents of Benin, the Edo State capital, have commended the Federal Government for ensuring availability of fuel during the Christmas celebration.
The residents, who spoke in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria in Benin, on Wednesday in Benin, said availability of the products made the celebration stress-free for them.
A resident, Aliu Ozioruva-Alemma, said,”You will recall that at about this time last year, Nigerians were already groaning under the weight of scarcity of fuel.”
He enjoined the government to ensure adequate availability of fuel, always, especially during festive seasons to enhance the ease in the supply of petroleum products that characterised this year Christmas.
Another resident, Odegua Osadolor, who attributed fuel shortage to sabotage, called on Nigerians to always support the government in making life easier for the people.
