The Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) yesterday issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Ministry of Petroleum Resources to end fuel queues cross the country. It warned that at the end of the ultimatum, it will mobilise the organised labour, civil society groups and the masses to occupy the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) until the minister and minister of state resign.
This warning was contained in a statement jointly issued in Abuja by CNPP National Chairman, Alhaji Balarabe Musa, and Secretary General, Chief Willy Ezugwu.
CNPP said in the statement: “Both the Minister and Minister of State for Petroleum Resources have shown a track record of undeniable and monumental ineptitude in resolving the problems associated with Fuel Scarcity in the last 11 months.
“While the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources and Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, has kept double-talking on the issue, the Minister and President Muhammadu Buhari, on his part, has maintained relative silence.
“About seven months ago, Kachikwu had confessed: ‘Personally, I will have chosen to sell the refineries, but President Buhari has instructed that they should be fixed. After they are fixed, if they still operate below 60 per cent, then we will know what to do.’
“A 90-day presidential ultimatum for the refineries to be fixed ended in December and the deadline was not met.
“In the same vein, the government set April 7 deadline to end the fuel queues being experienced across the country, again, the deadline was not met.
“After blaming some people who rather than sell products send them into hinterlands where they can sell at ridiculous prices to make quick returns on their investments wrongly, the Ministry few days ago blamed the scarcity on 30% of supply allegedly diverted outside Nigeria.
“The government should be reminded that it has all the security apparatus and personnel to tract the saboteurs and bring them to justice.
“Enough of all the blame games and lack of will to tell Nigerians the truth about the lingering fuel scarcity. If by the end of seven days, and the situation is not addressed, the CNPP shall have no choice but to lead the organised labour, coalition of civil society groups and the Nigerian masses to occupy NNPC until the minister and minister of state resign their positions in the Ministry.” (News Express)