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The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), has blamed the Federal Government of Nigeria for the scarcity of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as petrol in the country.
NUPENG said the scarcity of petrol was caused by the government’s misplaced priority.
Speaking during the 5th Quadrennial Delegates Conference of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) branch of NUPENG in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, the union President, Comrade William Akporeha said that rather than blaming tanker drivers for petrol scarcity, the blame should be put on the doorstep of the government, who he said had refused to build new refineries in the last 30 to 40 years.
Akporeha said: “Why are the scarcity of petrol? Where is the product? The scarcity is not caused by tanker drivers but government’s misplaced priority. If the product is available, members will move it around.
“By importing the product, you are exporting capital, exporting jobs by doing so.
“I don’t think it’s rocket science to do that. The refineries we have today were built by the military 30 to 40 years ago.”
Meanwhile, the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) had revealed that the operating environment has become hostile to their businesses.
The Lagos Zonal Chairman of IPMAN, Akin Akinrinade, noted that it is no longer feasible to sell petrol in Nigeria at the recommended price of N165 to a litre, adding that the landing cost of petrol was between N175 to N178 to the litre.
Also, Mr Festus Osifo, President of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), has given a reason for the ongoing fuel scarcity across the country, particularly in Lagos and Abuja.