Fuel crisis: NLC asks Kwara govt to raise task force..accuses marketers of hoarding

Perturbed over lingering hike in price of petrol, the Kwara State Council of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has urged the state government to quickly intervene and constitute a joint task force to monitor the operation of fuel stations in a bid to uncover the unwholesome practices in some of them.

The NLC suggested representatives of the state government, Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Organized Labour, Security Agencies, Non-governmental Organizations and the Civil society Organizations among those that should form the task force.

The state NLC Chairman, Comrade Aliyu Issa Ore, said this in a letter addressed to the state Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, a copy of which was made available to Journalists in Ilorin today.

The organized labour noted that it has been inundated with the reports about certain marketers, who indulged in sharp hike and deliberate hoarding of fuel also known as Premium Motor Spirit (PMS).

Also Read: Remaining 23 Victims of Abuja-Kaduna Train Attack Released

With the persistent fuel crisis, the NLC observed that workers were unable to cope with the daily challenges of going to work and to meet the daily need of their dependants, thus forcing them to abandon their vehicles in filling stations.

Describing what it termed ‘artificial fuel crisis’ as detestable and condemnable, the organized labour challenged petroleum marketers to
consider the interest of the people of the State over the interest of few individuals who dispense the commodity.

This medium reports many fueling stations in Ilorin remained under lock and key while a handful few that dispensed to motorists, tricyclists, bikers and domestic users sold at outrageous prices to distraught buyers.

“The attention of the leadership of Kwara State Council of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has been drawn to sharp hike in the fuel price and the deliberate hoarding of the products by the marketers.

Also Read: SAD: Hon. Alajagusi Grieve Over Death of APC Stalwart in Asa LG

“This deliberate activity of the marketers has caused pain to the people of Kwara State. The resultant effect of this hoarding is that, the workers and the people of Kwara State are unable to cope with the daily challenges of going to work and to meet the daily need of their dependants and as such, some workers and public bus operators or transporters have abandoned their cars and buses at the filling stations.

“The congress leadership views this scenario as detestable and condemnable and therefore calls on the petroleum marketers to consider the interest of the generality of the people of Kwara State over the interest of few individuals, who markets this product. It is despicable to allow an oil producing country to shroud itself with
fuel crisis.

Also Read: Head of Service calls for strict adherence to guidelines for foreign travels

“However, the leadership of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Kwara State Council while condemning the act of hoarding by the marketers, calls and urges the state government to urgently intervene by constituting a Joint Task Force Committee comprising the state government, Directorate of Petroleum Resources, Organized Labour, Security Agencies, Non-governmental Organizations and the Civil society Organizations with a mandate and terms of reference in a view to inspect and supervise the activities of all the petroleum stations in Kwara State in order to uncover the selfish and unwholesome activities of petroleum marketers in Kwara State”, the Kwara NLC said.