Sealing Of Fuel Stations Won’t End Product Scarcity, Says Governor’s Aide

Senior special assistant (SSA) to Akwa Ibom State governor on petroleum matters, who doubles as the chairman of the Akwa Ibom State’s Task Force on Petroleum, Sir Victor Etefia, has advised against stoking of more crises in the sector by the use of force to enforce compliance to the old price regime by marketers.

He blamed the recent hike in the price of the commodity on the absence of NNPC Depots, the Russian/Ukraine war, global economic downturn, subsidy policy and absence of other primary sources of fuel.

Etefia, who spoke to journalists at the weekend in Uyo, the state capital in the wake of the ongoing clampdown on some filling stations flouting the authentic price regime, leading to the closure of 27 stations so far, explained that deploying the use of force to coarse marketers would be counter-productive to the needed solution to the problem.

The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), has warned marketers to resist the temptation of selling the product above the already established price, but Etefia, pleaded with residents for understanding, urging that rather than blame fuel marketers in the state for the impasse, they should be applauded for making sacrifices to ensure the availability of the commodity.

The governor’s aide, pointed out that while petrol is sold at more than N400 per litre in surrounding states including the ones with NNPC depots, price of the product has not gone beyond N300 in most petrol stations in the state.

He said the primary source of petrol to most stations in Nigeria has collapsed, while the secondary source from where many of the marketers get their fuel remain prone to the vagaries of trade.

He said: “First of all we should not domesticate this hike in the price of fuel because it is a national problem. Then as far as this fuel business is concerned, Akwa Ibom is locationally disadvantaged because we have 21 NNPC depots across the country and Akwa Ibom has none.

“Cross River has an NNPC Depot and 16 depots with deep water, Rivers has about 18 with deep water, we have five here in Akwa Ibom and we are having problems of their vessels having access to the tank farms.

“So even with the primary source we are disadvantaged, with the secondary source we are also disadvantaged and very unfortunately Akwa Ibom consumes more than any other state in the South South and South East region.

“So once the central supply source or the NNPC distribution chain has a problem, it affects the component units, that is the states. For those people using Calabar as an example, it is only in Calabar Municipal Council that has four Oando Stations and four Conoil stations and many other major big heads that you can queue and get fuel at N200 because they can get and afford to share to their stations.

“Go to Ikom, Ogoja, Obubra and others and see if you will get fuel at N400. Go to those places and you will applaud marketers in Akwa Ibom for the efforts and sacrifices they are making.”