News Editor
The Civil Rights Advocacy group: HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has expressed satisfaction with the methodical and the constitutionally guided speedy steps adopted by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (ltd) which have virtually curbed the scarcity of fuel that surfaced across the country for a weak now.
HURIWA said it has it in good authority that motorists in cities such as Lagos, Abuja and neighboring states within the Federal Capital Territory on Sunday heaved a sigh of relief following the disappearance of fuel queues at majority of the filling stations that dispensed the product.
HURIWA affirmed that reports from her members are to the effect that most filling stations in Abuja and neighbouring states resumed full operations late on Sunday after receiving petrol, a development that cleared the queues for petrol by motorists in the capital city and its environs.
HURIWA can confirmed that the findings that revealed that filling stations that had been shut for over a week due to supply gap, eventually opened for operations on Sunday morning, was factually accurate.
Also, the Rights group asserted that as observed even this Monday morning, retail outlets in the satellite towns of Abuja such as Bwari, Lugbe, Kubwa, Zuba, Kuje and others that had experienced product shortage during the course of last week were seen dispensing petrol to motorists on Sunday.
HURIWA recalled that the importation of off-spec petrol into the country had forced the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd to withdraw the product from the market.
The withdrawal of the methanol-blended petrol had led to supply gap in some parts of the country.
In a bid to accelerate nationwide distribution of Premium Motor Spirit which was earlier disrupted by the quarantine of methanol-blended petrol, the NNPC had last Tuesday begun a 24-hour distribution of petrol across the country.
The NNPC had in a statement on Tuesday projected that the fuel queues would disappear by the weekend.
It had assured Nigerians that it had adequate stock of over one billion litres of certified Premium Motor Spirit stock that is safe for use in vehicles and machineries.
The National Oil company had explained that the quarantine of the methanol blended petrol was a necessary step to safeguard its customers from the potential impact of this PMS grade on vehicles and machineries.
As part of its strategy to restock, the NNPC had stated that over 2.3 billion liters of PMS had been scheduled for delivery between now and end of February 2022.
This, the statement noted, will restore sufficiency level above the national target of 30 days.
The statement reads, “NNPC Ltd wishes to reassure Nigerians that it has put adequate measures in place to accelerate nationwide distribution of PMS earlier disrupted by the quarantine of methanol-blended petrol.
“The quarantine was a necessary step to safeguard our customers from the potential impact of this PMS grade on vehicles and machineries.
The NNPC had stated further that the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria, Depot Owners and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria and the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria have also commenced 24-hour loading and dispensing activities in some of their designated outlets.
“Furthermore, NNPC’s monitoring team is collaborating with the Authority (Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Regulatory Petroluem Authority) and other security agencies to ensure smooth distribution of PMS nationwide.
“NNPC implores Nigerians to avoid panic buying as there is sufficient volume of PMS in-country and effort is being made to accelerate distribution to all filling stations,” the statement had concluded.
Commenting on the verifiably improved fuel supply situation in most urban cities of the Country as promised by the NNPC, HURIWA in a statement by the National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the National Media Affairs Director Miss Zainab Yusuf affirmed that the overwhelming demonstration of substantial adherence of NNPC to the time tested and time honoured good governance values of transparency and openness in this instance, satisfies the plethora of provisions in the Nigerian constitution and specifically section 17 (1) (2) (a) (b) (c) which states thus; “Section 17. (1) The State social order is founded on ideals of Freedom, Equality and Justice.
(2) In furtherance of the social order-
(a) every citizen shall have equality of rights, obligations and opportunities before the law;
(b) the sanctity of the human person shall be recognised and human dignity shall be maintained and enhanced;
(c) governmental actions shall be humane”.
HURIWA therefore said rather than call for the sack of the GMD of the NNPC, the citizens should applaud the hierarchy just as the Rights group insisted that the companies that brought in the dirty fuel must not be allowed to escape the long arm of the law and must be made to compensate motorists who bought the bad fuel.
Bad Fuel: NNPC’s Intervention Has Been Fantastic, Constitutional: Says HURIWA
