* Your flippancy is out-of-line
• You do not own NNPC
• You’re bad advertisement for APC govt
*Petrol shortage sours Easter celebrations
• NLC calls for minister’s resignation
The National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has condemned comments by the Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Ibe
Kachikwu “that he (Kachikwu) was not trained as a magician and that
basically Nigerians should count themselves fortunate that the NNPC
under his stewardship has been able to bring in the amount of petrol
fuel it is currently doing.
In a statement sent to The Guardian, and titled, ‘Kachikwu Needs To Know
That Respect And Good Performance Will Do What Magic Cannot’, the
former Lagos State Governor insisted he is “an avid and partisan
supporter” of the President Buhari-led government and of the progressive
policies of the APC.
With that, Tinubu said he reserves “the right and the duty as a Nigerian
to voice my opinion when I believe a member of this government has
strayed from the progressive calling required of this administration. I
do this because my greater devotion and love are for this nation and its
people. Party and politics fall secondary.”
He said: “Perhaps the statement by Kachikwu was made in a moment of
unguarded frustration or was an awkward attempt at a joke. Whatever the
motive, it was untimely and off-putting. The remark did not sit well
with the Nigerian people; they were as right to feel insulted, as the
Minister was wrong to have said such a thing. The fuel shortage is
severely biting for the average person. They are forced to remain in
lines far too long, for too much time, to pay too much money for too
little fuel. This is no joking matter. Livelihoods and people’s welfare
are at stake. With so much on the line, Kachikwu’s flippancy was
out-of-line. He was basically telling Nigerians that they should be
lucky that they are getting the inadequate supply they now suffer and
that they should just be quiet and endure the shortage for several weeks
more.
“Kachikwu’s intervention was unhelpful. It panicked and disappointed the
public as to the duration of the crisis. It insulted the people by its
tonality. He spoke with the imperious nature of a member of the elitist
government the people voted out last year and not the progressive one
they voted in. Kachikwu must be reminded that he was not coerced to take
this job. He accepted the job and its responsibilities knowingly. He
also must remember that he does not own NNPC. This also is not a private
company that owes nothing to the public except the duty of fair
dealing.
“He is a public servant. The seat he sits upon is owned by Nigerians,
not by him. The company he runs is owned by Nigerians, not by him. They
are his boss. He is not theirs. Power is vested in the people. He is a
mere custodian or agent of their will. In talking to us in such a
manner, he committed an act of insubordination. If he had talked so
cavalierly to his boss in the private sector, he would have been
reprimanded or worse. If wise, the man should refrain from such
interjections in the future.
“As his ultimate bosses, the people have a right to demand the requisite
performance and respect from him. He should apologise for treating them
so lightly in this instance.
“His portfolio being a strategically important one, he needs to
reestablish the correct relationship with the public. They no longer
feel he is working for their optimal benefit as their servant. Instead,
he seems to be standing above them, telling them to take it or leave it.
For his policies and stint in office to be successful and a help to
this government, he must have the support and belief of the people at
this tough time. He must talk to them in a way that they believe he
seeks their best interest and understands the hardship weighing upon
them. He must ask them to work with him and perhaps to endure a bit
longer but with the knowledge that he is working to resolve this matter
as fast as he can and as permanently as possible. That he is dedicated
to the position that once these current lines are gone that never again
shall they reappear, as long as he has any influence in the matter.
“To do this, requires no magic or training in that strange craft. It
requires empathy, compassion and the willpower to forge a better
Nigeria. These must be the common trademarks of those serving in a
progressive government, for these attributes are integral parts of the
spirit and ideals upon which the APC was founded. Upon such notions was
this administration voted into office by the Nigerian people in the
operation of their sovereign will to seek a national leadership that
would pursue their interests to the utmost and give them every fair
chance to live in a better Nigeria.
“Even though times are hard, we must all realise that they would be even
harder and much darker had we allowed the venal, kleptocracy of the PDP
to continue to lord over the land solely for their selfish benefit and
not for the common good.
“I am confident that President Buhari and this government can resolve
the issues that press us. From establishing full security and safety to
staking a claim to true economic prosperity and fairness, this
government shall salvage our national pride and purpose.
Let all of us, in and out, of government never forget this. If we adhere
to this remembrance, we shall see that magic will not be needed to
bring the progress we seek.”
Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President, Comrade Issa Aremu, also
criticised Kachikwu over comments by the latter that it is cheaper for
the nation to import fuel from overseas than refine it locally.
“We condemn it and call on him to withdraw this unhelpful statement,
failing which we demand he should resign,” said Aremu, who noted “with
regret that Nigeria spends as much as $10bn yearly on importation of
petroleum products.”
Delivering a communiqué at the 11th delegates’ conference of the
National Union of Textile, Garments and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria
(NUTGTWN) in Kaduna, Aremu stressed: “I see no reason why Nigeria cannot
build a modern refinery that will improve petroleum capacity,” adding
that continuous importation is the agenda of a cabal whose desire is
self gratification rather than the welfare of the masses.
The expectations of many Nigerians for a stress free Easter celebration,
meanwhile, have been dashed by the ongoing fuel scarcity, which in the
last 24 hours took a turn for the worse.
In many parts of the country, the very few stations that sold Premium
Motor Spirit (PMS), yesterday, were attended by long queues, as
frustrated buyers struggled to get the costly product ahead today’s
festivities.
In Kaduna, many motorists were forced to patronise black market dealers
at exorbitant prices, as few fuel stations had the product. At the
independent filling stations along Kachia, Nnamdi Azikiwe and Junction
Roads long queues of motorists was the order of the day, as a litre was
sold for N145-N155.
Major marketers, like Mobil along Independence Way and Total at Ahmadu
Bello Way, sold the product at the official price of N86 per litre. On
the queues at both stations, however, were motorists, like Mallam Yinusa
Abbas, who told The Guardian he had been waiting patiently for two
days.
A well-intentioned directive of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence
(NSCDC) unwittingly compounded the scarcity in Bauchi. The outfit had
threatened to arrest and prosecute unscrupulous filling station
operators and roadside sellers.
Armed with their money, would-be buyers are still not able to lay their
hands on the product, as sellers have gone underground. Consequently, a
four-litre gallon, which used to be N500-600, now sells for
N1,100-N1,200.
In Gombe State, black marketers are selling the product for N250 per
litre, while filling stations are dispensing at N170, amid buyers’
uncertainty over the genuineness of the commodity. Fares, meanwhile,
have gone up. A trip from Gombe to Bauchi, formerly N800, has climbed up
to N1000. Gombe to Bajoga, which used to be N250 is now N500.
Some marketers who spoke to The Guardian in Port Harcourt disproved
claim by officials of the Department of Petroleum Resources that most
filling stations have fuel but are refusing to sell it. The marketers
explained that they purchased their product from independent depots;
hence the DPR should not expect them to sell at the official price.
At fillings stations in Eleme, Rumuokoro, Rumuodumaya, Rukpokwu, Eliozu,
Omoku, Ahoada, old Port Harcourt and Worji, a litre of petrol was sold
being for N150 and above.
Four litres of petrol in Kano yesterday was sold for N800-N900, as black
marketers took advantage of the scarcity to multiply profit.
The stations of many major and independent marketers in the metropolis
were locked up. And at the few stations that sold, the queues were long.
The chairman of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of
Nigeria (IPMAN) in Kano, Alhaji Bashir Dan Mallam, blamed the scarcity
on failure of the NNPC to supply the product to Kano...
