By Boluwatife Ezekiel Olaleye
Chairman of Senate Committee on Customs, Excise and Tariff, Hope Uzodinma, has blamed petroleum products’ dealers and tank farm owners over the current fuel crisis in the country.
Uzodinma, in a statement issued on Friday in Abuja, decried that some petroleum products’ dealers and tank farm owners were playing politics with the distribution of petroleum products through hoarding.
He said the scarcity, which was coming at a time Christians were about to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, indicated that it was “a great sabotage.”
The lawmaker added that from statistics available to his committee, “the volume of petroleum products imported into the country can serve motorist till first quarter of next year.
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“Christians all over the world and indeed Nigeria hold the Christmas period dear to their hearts and nobody or group of persons should be seen to be sabotaging this all important feast.”
He called on the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to carry out a thorough investigation of the scarcity, with a view to sanctioning erring dealers.
According to him, since the increase in pump price of fuel in the last two years, there has been steady supply of petrol in the filling stations. He asked why the scarcity was coming during Christmas.
He further called on NNPC to consider extending its searchlight on possible sabotage within its management to fish out those bent on frustrating government efforts.
While appealing to Christians in the country to remain calm and have faith in God, Uzodinma said dealers and tank farm owners were giving the Federal Government a bad name for political reasons.