NNPC saboteurs responsible for fuel scarcity —Kashamu

The Senator representing Ogun East Senatorial District in the upper chamber, Senator Buruji Kashamu, has attributed the current fuel scarcity in the country to the activities of saboteurs within Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and corrupt practices by depot managers.

He said on Sunday while fielding questions from journalists shortly after a meeting with members of the Omo-Ilu Foundation and an empowerment ceremony, held at the Omo-Ilu Foundation Complex, Ijebu-Igbo in the Ijebu North Local Government Area of Ogun State.

He advised the Federal Government to centralise the allocation of petroleum products directly from the office of the Minister of Petroleum Resources, cutting off the depot managers, whom he alleged were partly responsible for the scarcity.



Kashamu said from the investigations he conducted among some independent marketers, some managers at the depots sold Premium Motor Spirit, popularly known as petrol, to independent marketers at the official rate of N77, while the depots officials asked them to pay between N30 and N35 into special private accounts.

This, he said, had made it difficult for the retailers to sell the product to consumers at the official pump price of N86.50k.

He said, “I believe that the current scarcity is artificially induced. There are allegations that even though the Federal Government has fixed the official rate at which fuel should be lifted, many of the depots sell above the amount.

“They ask the independent marketers to pay the government approved rate into the officially designated account and another difference of between N30 to N35 per litre into other private accounts or they simply collect cash.”