An official of the Federal Ministry of Environment, who gave
his name simply as Nnamdi, said, “This strike came as a
surprise. I was lucky to make it to work this(Monday)
morning and you can see that the place is virtually empty.
Many workers are stranded because many stations had no fuel
to sell due to the strike by oil and gas workers.”
Black market operators cashed in on the scarcity by selling the
product in jerrycans on the major roads and streets in the FCT
at prices above the pump price of N97.
The situation was the same in Makurdi, Gboko, Kastina –
Ala, Oturkpo and Ukum Local Government Areas of Benue
State, where motorists paid between N105 and N135 instead
of N97. On the streets, the product sold for as much as N200
per litre.
Commercial drivers and private car owners told our
correspondent in the state that the scarcity would cause untold
hardship to the people, especially as Christmas approaches.
Our correspondent in Kwara State observed that over 90 per
cent of the filling stations in llorin which were selling fuel
before 8am on Monday, suddenly locked their entrance .
The managers of the filling stations declined comments but
surprised motorists described their action as shocking.
One of the motorists, Kunle Ajana, said, “What I am
witnessing here now is surprising. Some of my friends bought
fuel in the morning and I am surprised that I cannot find
anywhere to buy now.”
In Jos, Plateau State, there were also long queues in the
afternoon at most of the filling stations which initially sold
petrol in the morning.
At the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Mega
station in the city, the queue stretched to about two
kilometres, thereby causing traffic congestion along the major
high-ways in the city.
However, motorists in Oyo and Delta states did not
experience any difficulty as most stations were seen
dispensing fuel.
At the NNPC depot in Apata, Ibadan, normal activities
went on even as black market operators still sold fuel at N90
per litre instead of N97.
An attendant in one of the fuel stations in Boluwaji area of
Ibadan told The PUNCH that there was no instruction from
the owner of the station to them to stop selling petroleum
products.
“The owner of this place is in Lagos. We called him to take
instruction concerning the scarcity but he said that we should
continue to sell fuel. We took delivery of 33,000 litres on
Saturday so we have plenty of petrol in our tanks,” he said.
Our correspondent in Delta State learnt that junior workers
under the umbrella of the National Union of Petroleum and
Natural Gas did not join in the strike.
The NNPC depot in Warri did not close down as petroleum
marketers loaded their trucks with ease on Monday.
When one of our correspondents visited the NNPC Ejigbo
depot in Lagos on Monday afternoon,loading activities were
also going on.
The Lagos Zonal Chairman, PENGASSAN, Mr. Abel
Agarin, said, “The people you saw at Ejigbo are NUPENG
members who were allowed to load. But immediately we got
there, workers from the PEF who were signing their
documents and the DPR workers were asked to stop
working.”
He said that some tankers that loaded earlier in the day at the
depot were allowed to move out because of the danger
they posed if left there.
Agarin added, “In Lagos, most depots were shut and there
was no loading. After Ejigbo depot, we went to Mobil on
Mobil Road. We also visited Oando loading bay. At the
Apapa depot and those owned by Mobil and Oando, there was
total compliance. There was work by NUPENG members
at Total depot which was later stopped in the course of the
day.
“But by tomorrow (today), I believe that loading activities
would not take place there.
In the early hours of Monday, trucks were seen loading
products at Apapa depots in Lagos but at a reduced pace. Our
correspondent gathered from oil marketers that the Petroleum
Tanker Drivers arm of NUPENG in the state were yet to join
the strike.
But a petrol tanker driver, who identified himself as Shola,
said that some depots were having difficulties exiting their
trucks from the point of loading.
He also said that trucks ready to leave Lagos for other states
were being constrained by the Petroleum Equalisation Fund
processes.
PEF is a parastatal of the Federal Government established by
law to equalise the cost of transporting petroleum products
from product depots to filling stations.
This is to ensure that petroleum products are made available at
uniform prices throughout Nigeria.
To operate the price equalisation mechanism, marketers
whose petrol stations are located close to depots contribute to
the Equalisation Fund while others with petrol stations farther
away from depots make claim from the Fund.
The President, PENGASSAN, Mr. Francis Johnson, said the
unions had issued a 15-day ultimatum to the government
before embarking on the strike.
“Before we met on October 30 and 31, the two unions had
met in Enugu. We issued an ultimatum, which expired on
November 15. After the expiration of the ultimatum, we also
engaged government agencies and the international oil
companies involved, but it was not fruitful. We don’t like
Nigerians to go through what is going on now,” he added.
The Media and Information Officer, PENGASSAN, Mr.
Babatunde Oke, however said that the Federal Government
had invited the two unions for a meeting in Abuja on Tuesday
(today).
He said that “in Warri, there was no loading, but NUPENG
members were seen wearing red to signify their protest. In
Port Harcourt, there was total compliance in all oil and gas
locations, including the upstream and midstream as the
loading bays were shut.
“In Kaduna and Abuja, there was total compliance on the part
of PENGASSAN members. In Kaduna, the gate of the
Kaduna Refinery was shut and no entrance was allowed .
There was no loading also in Kaduna.”
Oke added that “earlier on Monday morning, the NNPC
towers was opened for business and workers were at their
desks but they were later called to stop work at about 11.45
a.m.”
Meanwhile, the NNPC has assured the public that the strike
would not dislocate the distribution and sale of fuel to
members of the public.
The Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division,
NNPC, Mr. Ohi Alegbe, said the NNPC was in talks with
the leadership of the unions which gave the assurance that
they would not disrupt the fuel supply and distribution system
as the strike was basically aimed at addressing the anti-labour
issues by some of the international oil companies.
The corporation and its downstream subsidiary, the Pipelines
and Products Marketing Company, also revealed that it had
over 32 days stock of petroleum products available for supply
across the nation during the Yuletide season and beyond.
It said 17 additional petroleum laden vessels were at the
Lagos Port waiting to discharge to the various depots for
onward distribution to members of the public.
It further assured that everything was being done to ensure
that there was no hitch whatsoever in the supply system that
could bring any form of hardship to motorists and those who
intend to travel during the period.
The NNPC advised marketers to desist from hoarding or
diversion of petroleum products as those caught would be
sanctioned.
The Head, Public Affairs Department of the Petroleum
Resources, Ms. Dorothy Bassey, told one of our
correspondents on the telephone that there were still meetings
going on to resolve the issues raised by the oil and gas
workers.
She said at the management level, work would continue to go
on at the DPR until the situation was brought under control.
The oil and gas workers are protesting the failure of the
Federal Government to carry out turnaround maintenance of
the nation’s four refineries, the non-reduction of pump price
of petrol in line with the slump in global prices of crude oil
and the delayed passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill.
They had vowed that the strike would continue until the
government addressed their grievances, which also included
the non-implementation of the Nigeria Oil and Gas Industry
Content Development Act.
Source: PunchNg
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