The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) on Friday, stated that its monitoring team together with security agencies set up to rapidly end remnants of petroleum products supply gaps in parts of the country has discovered 144 trucks that were not streamed by some marketers in Kano.

• The NNPC, in a statement in Abuja, said the products were meant to feed Kano and its environs, adding that the resurfaced trucks had been sent to discharge their products at the designated locations.
• According to the NNPC, of the 144 trucks discovered, 26 were scheduled for Katsina, while 118 trucks were made to discharge their products in Kano and its environs.
• To this end, the NNPC warns marketers across the country to desist from acts that may heighten supply gaps noticeable in a few remaining parts of the country, stating that security agencies have been detailed to go on the trail of any marketer who may be hoarding products.
• t also noted that its monitoring team after combing Abuja had affirmed that fuel queues had disappeared in the Federal Capital City.

What we think: Yes, we commend the NNPC’s monitoring team for intercepting the diverted trucks of fuel but, there are still queues and closed filling stations in Lagos and Abuja and, if this is an attempt – just like Nigerian governments do – to ‘divert’ attention from the issue of an impending fuel crisis, it is not going to work.

The FEC had directed the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu and the NNPC boss, Maikanti Baru to end fuel queues across the country before Monday, December 11 and six days after, we still see closed filling stations and long queues.

Kachikwu also came out to say that the fuel scarcity – good he knew there was one – will end within 48 hours. The time is ticking and it does not seem like something tangible has been done, like supplying fuel since “it is adequate for the remaining part of 2017 and beyond”.

We must also note that PENGASSAN is planning an indefinite strike on Monday. What would happen after that?

Omoleye Omoruyi

Omoleye Omoruyi… an apprentice web/game developer, novelist, sensitive to happenings in the world. Meet him @Lord_rickie on Twitter/Instagram