I watched the live coverage of the recent nationwide fuel shortage probe or investigation conducted by the Senate Committee in Abuja. I was the more interested when it was about the time allowed for this coverage to lapse and news came that this was further extended by the management of the National Television Authority, for the coverage to continue. Kudos to the NTA for this gesture fully aware the public interest involved.
Borno State shares borders with three neighbouring Francophone countries of Chad, Niger and Cameroun. Apart from the security implications of this status, the three countries rely heavily on goods, including petroleum products, from Nigeria for survival. Therefore, smuggling is ‘a lucrative business’ in this zone
Indeed, almost all the stakeholders in the oil industry were present; from the minister down to the marketers and all that. All the presenters tried to exonerate themselves in the ignoble fuel shortage saga. They spoke half the truth. They were not honest. They told the nation less than they knew. Even when signs of looming danger of likely fuel shortage was becoming evident nationwide and people were rushing to buy and store fuel, the management of the NNPC was loud mouthed calling on the people not to engage in panic buying and that the NNPC has enough fuel to last 21 days or more.
Nigerians went ahead, ignoring the advice or warning of the body; for, through experience, they have become the better teachers.
And behold, of recent, before the shout of Jack Robinson, the worst came; the endless queues in the filling stations by motorists emerged in frightened dimension. The NNPC became dumfounded as it was caught napping. It discovered itself in a situation it could not comprehend. With the presidential directive that the organisation must find solution, its management staff led by the Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachukwu, suddenly discovered itself running from pillar to post; a race it never envisaged. In the process, the team discovered leakages in the supply system, as well as the so-called illegal filling stations ostensibly responsible to an extent, in the diversion of fuel from the legitimate line of supply.
Let’s face it; will the NNPC top hierarchy claim ignorance of such illegal routes or stations? If it does, what is the duty or function of its so-called Intelligence unit? Who are the owners of the illegal filling stations discovered and how were they being fed with fuel? These are some of the questions begging for answer.
It is, however, pertinent to appeal to the management of NNPC this time round to stop misleading the nation that all is well, when the contrary is the case. Whenever there is nationwide fuel shortage and the needs of Abuja and Lagos are met, the next repeated story from the management points to the fact that all is well nationwide, which is facile or untrue. A clear deceit to mislead both the authorities and the members of the public.
For now, fingers are crossed, as all await the outcome of the Senate investigation on the perennial fuel shortage.
However, my concern is that the outcome or recommendations that may emerge for possible solution to this recurring shortage of this valuable commodity might, after all, not have bearing on the people of Borno, especially Maiduguri, the state capital. Don’t be surprised at this assumption or position of mine. I have evidence to buttress my stand. As a matter of fact, it is the plight of Borno and the state capital in particular, in relation to the issue in discourse, that informed this piece as the state is always at the receiving end of this cancerous debacle.
Two major factors have perpetually put Maiduguri, in particular, at a disadvantage whenever it comes to the supply of fuel, especially, at the critical periods. First, is the location of the state. Borno State shares borders with three neighbouring Francophone countries of Chad, Niger and Cameroun. Apart from the security implications of this status, the three countries rely heavily on goods, including petroleum products, from Nigeria for survival. Therefore, smuggling is ‘a lucrative business’ in this zone. The implication is that petroleum goods meant for the state are mostly diverted outside the country, thereby putting pressure and hardship on the citizens of Borno. There are hundreds of illegal routes between Borno and the neighbouring countries that facilitate smuggling, besides the connivance of some unscrupulous personnel of the Nigerian Security agencies at the borders.
Secondly, there is this unholy alliance or conspiracy in Maiduguri, between some of the marketers in Borno and some dubious officials of the Directorate of Petroleum Resources to cheat the consumers. Some of the DPR officials alert marketers ahead of their impending inspection visit to their respective stations. For example, there was a case I witnessed in the state capital. At the peak of the fuel shortage sometime back, I was in a filling station to fuel my car. While in the manager’s office, he received a call. From the discussion or conversation with the caller, I deducted without equivocation that he was discussing with a DPR official who was alerting him that they were coming for inspection.
With his handset off, the marketer called one of his petrol attendants and told him that the DPR officials were coming and that they should adjust the pump to the correct price. This was complied with. In addition, he counted some amount of money in an envelope and gave this to the attendant for onward transmission to the DPR
officials.
In less than an hour, the officials came, four in number. The marketer asked sarcastically, “So you people work on Sunday?” He knew what he was up to. Then I observed the attendant with the envelope went into the back of the building and one of the officials followed him. The game is completed. The official came out and left with the others. As soon as they left the attendant had the effrontery to adjust the pump back again, to no one protesting.
With the pronounced, sustained and unholy alliance between some DPR officials in Maiduguri and marketers, in addition to persistent smuggling of petroleum products across the Borno borders into the neighbouring countries, can any effort or step contemplated on or taken to forestall shortage of petroleum products ever work in Maiduguri?
I doubt.
