[dropcap]D[/dropcap]iversion of fuel fuel meant for Nigerian motoring public has started again! Exactly what Nigeria experienced during the President Jonathan’s regime. Subsidized fuel meant for Nigerian citizens are being diverted to Chad and Niger, just because, unlike Nigeria where fuel pump price is pegged at N145 per litre, it is sold in those neighboring countries for as high as N400/liter.
No worries, if those culprits are using their own FOREX to import their own fuel for sale in those countries. But to divert fuel imported by Nigerian government, released to the mad petrol marketers at highly subsidized rate? No this time, there should be repercussions..
I gathered pressure had been mounted on the President Buhari’s regime to jerk up petrol pump prices to at least N165/litre.
And the government said: “NO”, which makes sense to me. No reasonable government will mount additional burden on the shoulder of its citizens during a biting recession like this, when many are struggling to feed, when many have either stopped driving their loved cars or reduced the number of times the cars are driven.
Rather than allow economic assassins to imports fuel and turn round to government t to defraud the nation of billions of Naira worth of subsidy money , fuel is now solely imported by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation(NNPC) and sold to marketers at the old price. New price difference is born by the federal government, which translates to resumption of fuel subsidy regime.
But an annoying development is starting to manifest. And I recommend the federal government gets ruthless about it. During the former regime, fuel was fully subsidized. Individual major marketers were free to import fuel. Afterwards fuel subsidy forms were filled and fraudsters got paid billions of Naira for services they never rendered. Many of the fraudulent fuel importers are still walking freely on our streets today.
None of them was ever sentenced, which explains why similar development is starting again.
From my findings, certain fuel marketers who now load subsidized fuel from NNPC depots have no fuel for sale at their filling stations across the country. Why? Since fuel now sells for at N400/litre in Niger and Chad as against N145 in Nigeria, the bastard marketers simply load the subsidized fuel from NNPC depot and divert it to neighbouring countries for higher gains. Subsidized fuel meant for Nigerians? Ah! This is evil and should be dealt with now.
If the federal government treats this matter with kid’s glove, soon, the country will start experiencing fuel scarcity. Then what?
To the acting President Oshibajo and the present cabinet members, fighting corruption, you guys are doing nice job. But there are LOOPHOLES. Why have you been silent about cases of fuel marketing company owners, who were accused of economic sabotage during president Ebele Jonathan’s regime? Why? What those guys were doing is comparable to offences of those, who allegedly diverted money meant to fight terrorists, talking about Dasukigate. I think diverting subsidized fuel meant for Nigerians to another country is even worse. In Japan or China, that will carry death penalty. Doing nothing about the matter is like telling them they can do it again and nothing will happen. It’s time for something to begin to happen.
There is only one solution I recommend. The Nigerian Custom Service (NCS) has failed the nation. Let federal government mobilize the Nigerian air force to patrol our borders. Send the nation’s drone to the sky. Find any fuel truck being driven out of Nigeria, SHOOT THE BERGERS! That’s all I can say. Shoot them down.
For the present development is ridiculous. It’s economic treason. In that case, actions of the bastards should legally carry death penalty in Nigeria. But let me warn you. Don’t wait for Nigerian court to sentence them. For now, our judiciary can’t be trusted. So I still stand by my recommendation: SHOOT THE BAGGERS. PERIOD.
©Copyright MOTORING WORLD INTERNATIONAL.
All rights reserved. Materials, photographs, illustrations and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior written permission from Motoring World International
Contact: editor@motoringworldng.com
