The Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) has reacted to the 48-hour ultimatum issued by the Department of State Services (DSS) that oil marketers make petrol available to Nigerians.
PETROAN Reacts To 48-hour Ultimatum By DSS
PETROAN faulted the ultimatum, saying that until the DSS goes after the cartel operating among private depot owners hoarding the essential commodity, fuel scarcity, and long queues will persist.
The chairman of PETROAN, System 2E, Eastern Zone, Sunny Nkpe started this on Monday while speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme.
“Let me make it categorically clear here: there is no amount of threat by DSS that is going to change anything. If it must change, they must start from the source; they should go to the private depot operators to find out where for now we are getting products from.
“Until the cartel or cabal in that area is handled or taken care of, we can never get any reduction or fairness in the distribution of the product,” Nkpe said.
He also said there has not been a drop in petrol allocation to the Port Harcourt depot in the last six months.
Kanyi Daily reported that the DSS on the 8th of December gave the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPCL) and other stakeholders in the downstream sector 48 hours to end the lingering fuel scarcity across the country.
The secret police said failure to comply will make the agency activate its operations across the country.
DSS Spokesman, Peter Afunanya said the challenge of fuel scarcity has assumed a dimension that is detrimental to the security of the country.