Leadership (Abuja)
Christiana Esebonu
27 August 2008
analysis
"Please appeal to government on our behalf to ensure that kerosene is supplied to every filling station in Abuja and to also ensure that the subsidised price for which the NNPC sells their product is maintained in all the stations. I am tired of spending nights at fuel stations or even risking my life to come here by 3.am when I am supposed to be resting in my bed."
This was an appeal by Mama Gift, an Abuja resident, put across to government through our reporter who visited some filling stations in the FCT, even as more kerosene seekers expressed their agonies.
The hardship Nigerians experience everyday in order to buy kerosene, an essential commodity, indeed speaks volumes about the inept character of the Nigerian Government.
Come to think of it, Nigeria is naturally endowed with crude oil, from which kerosene is produced. Yet to get this "God-given" product, one must undergo a horrid experience.
Kerosene, the most used product for domestic cooking, has been priced out of reach of the masses. Most persons who cannot afford getting the product had resorted to using sawdust, firewood and charcoal not minding the after effects.
The issue of kerosene, as far as filling stations are concerned, has become a nightmare to the Nigerian populace as it unfolds its unfavourable gift in two ways. Firstly, due to its scarcity those who survive through it have been deprived of this scarce commodity, which was originally meant to be pooled out and made available to them. Secondly, the adulterated variant of the product has caused a lot of pains and sorrow in many homes, maiming, killing and possibly turning victims into living shadows of their original selves.
But do those in power view the peoples welfare as a priority?
Lately, the Africa Petroleum (AP) in collaboration with the Access Bank Plc, launched a project tittled "Kerosene For All", which was commissioned by President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua. This project was aimed at alleviating the scarcity, as well as the high cost of the product, but today, NNPC/AP filling stations designed to achieve these set goals have derailed from the intended plan and expectation.
Today subsidy in Nigeria should rather be seen as a subsidy for specific persons, because these stations have nothing to offer other than agonising pains, providing room for exploiting the masses. The kerosene project that was aimed at meeting the needs of the general society has become a business venture for NNPC/AP station attendants, thereby defeating the purpose of the project.
At the NNPC filling station located at Area 10, our reporter noticed, with shock, a large number of persons comprising disabled persons, on wheelchairs, pregnant women, the aged, teenagers, uniformed men and young girls queuing for the product.
LEADERSHIP however, gathered that the queue was in different segments ranging from the civil servant line, force line disabled people line, black marketers line and the general public line.
Narrating his ordeal, Mr. Henry Eyiaro stated that the sufferings encountered in getting the product was as a result of lack of will by the government to solve social problems. He said if the government had the would to better the lives of the masses, they will actually make a way because the financial capacity of the Nigerian nation could take care of our needs.
In his words:, "You won't believe that I have been waiting for the past three hours, and there's no sign that anybody will be attended to, except the black marketers and touts that give them money. I can boldly say it anywhere that what is happening here is a syndicate or better still, an organised network of crime between the station attendants, blackmarketers and even the so-called task force."
He called on the government to be focused not for themselves, but for posterity and for the future, having it in mind that there's always "a place after service." Eyiaro called for a new agenda to enable government know how they can move the nation forward.
For Mr. Iyimoga, the problem lies in selling the product, after it has been off-loaded. He revealed that the problem lies with the people coordinating the sales, because if they adhere strictly to the instruction they are given, the mode of distribution will be perfect.
"The arrangement was that the task force would pick 10 jericans each from the lines orderly arranged (ie from the various segments) but the reverse had been the case" he exclaimed.
He said the only way the situation would be arrested was for government to open more of such stations at strategic places like Nyanya, Kubwa, among other areas.
Miss Blessing, a restaurant operator and a resident of Life Camp, said as a struggling girl who doesn't want to compromise with the world she has been sleeping at a nearby uncompleted building (which she pointed at) just to ensure that "I buy this product to continue my business. But these forcemen will not let my dream come true." "she shouted, shaking his head."
According to Blessing, "Military men no longer report at their beat as they have turned NNPC Filling Station and all AP station to their offices and homes. They have suddenly become kerosene dealers, as some no longer see the need to go to work. I know too well that they cannot resist the taste of money, but they should stop coming here to flog married/pregnant women as well as people's children who refuse to comply with their demands."
She called on all DPOs to warn their officers not to make filling stations their second offices and homes. She stressed the need for patrol team to be released to arrest such greedy officers and if possible lock them up or deploy them to filling stations for rest of their lives.
As far as NNPC, AP and the issue of kerosene is concerned, there will always be a queue. This was the confession of a taxi driver, Malam Abubakar Bello. Honestly, the agony and sufferings of kerosene buyers have exceeded what we go through during fuel scarcity. The taxi driver told our reporter that he actually went there to refill his tank, but from his observations, discovered that it was only those who knew the names of the station attendants that were getting the product.
"Just call "Gilory, Muhammed or Emeka and kerosene would be pumped into your rubber", he added.
Malam Abubakar expressed pity for the policemen who beat pregnant women and even go as far as breaking peoples jerricans without mercy, forgetting that they are carrying curses upon their heads.
Mr. John Oba, who also narrated his experience at AP filling station situated at Maitama, had this to say; on August 1, 2008, the AP station at Maitama, opposite the British High Commission, received over ten thousand litres of kerosene as attested to by the assistant manager.
After throwing away some 50 litres from the long queue because, according to them, only people with 20 litres would be attended to going by the rules guiding the project, at about 6:30am, one of the supervisors came with six litres and later announced to the waiting crowd to come back the next day for the products , after waiting endlessly.
For Chinwe Okeke, "These people always use delay tactics with one excuse or the other to deceive us. It is either the nozzle is not pumping, or the engine is too hot and needs to be allowed to get cooled, only for them to use the slightest chance to "Siphon the product to black marketers".
Ifeanyi Nwaokike Emeka, a student who resides at Karmo, could not withhold his tears while making some revelations to our reporter. According to him "I lost my dad when I was in primary school, but survived the perils of this life through my mothers trade which is kerosene retailing, but has resigned due to her poor health condition leaving the trade to us for survival."
"As a child with vision and positive expectations, I decided not to be idle or become a liability to the society and so decided to continue in the inherited trade which has been of immense help to us. But here I am in the civil service line even with my late father's I.D card, with no hope of getting the product." These heartless people, instead of concentrating on the line, are only ready to collect bribe from anxious or impatient civil servants to deliver to them. "What then happens to the poor? Please help me ask the government and write it in your newspaper that the "Rich also cry, if not now, it will certainly be some day, yes! some day!" he repeated.Me, I be Niger Deltan oh, and I believe say you know wetin I mean, which kind rubbish be this? Na them dey sell, and na them dey buy, e good so? No tell me say e good. This was question put to our reporter by an aggrieved kerosene seeker who gave his name as "Area.",
He stated categorically that NNPC workers usually have up to 10 gallons with agents around to help them re-sell the filled products, at higher prices. Area also complained bitterly that black marketers, who often have 25 gallons to one person, sometimes buy the product at N1,3000 and re-sell it at N3,000. They sometimes, on agreement with the attendant, cause confusion of bringing their gallons from behind to struggle with the financial and strength-wise powerless masses.
This group of persons as observed by our reporter hires people (mostly touts) to claim their gallons to buy the product for them. Indeed the policy on kerosene as far as am concerned has only provided room for fueling station workers to steal from and exploits the helpless masses.
For Esther Etiopa, the issue of kerosene in the FCT is now a case of survival of the fittest. This lady lamented the inconsiderate manner in which police men beat and insult them.
According to her revelation, the black marketers have a union with which they deprive people of kerosene. She added that sometimes in the process of waiting, their gallons are either stolen or broken. You won't believe that even as I am standing I don't have a can with which to buy the product even if God touches them to sale the product.
Another kerosene seeker Esther Nugu who made her stance known, maintained that instead of buying kerosene from black marketers, she would rather go home and buy from retailers at home or stay without food. How on earth would one buy 25 litres at N1,600 and resell it between N3,300 – N3,800, while you only keep them company at the station.
For Mrs. Edidem Ison, a nursing mother, even if NTA, AIT and ITV channels or even DSTV or Aso radio come here to picture us, the situation on ground would not change. I just wish these black markets would reduce their prices to N2,000 for us the poor women to buy. My dear, I will quickly buy it and rush home. "she declared."
Madam Nwaneka, a disabled on wheelchair, told our reporter that she had not seen anything compared to their previous experiences. She disclosed that able bodied men are always exchanging blows, women exchanging abusive words on themselves and many more unethical behaviours are exposed just because of kerosene queue.
In her words: "I so pity some young teenagers who allowed themselves to be fondled by these dirty touts and useless policemen wondering to get kerosene, expressing disappointment with a shrug of the shoulder. May God help us".
One of the black marketers Okafor Nwabueze, who spoke to LEADERSHIP, maintained that the supervisors are trying. He named them as Mike, Hassan and Joana, stressing confidently and hitting his chest that as far as he was concerned everybody is getting kerosene, adding further that it is very difficult to satisfy the masses.
For Nwabueze, other seekers are stubborn and lawless, so how do you expect these attendant to serve them? Can strictness be attributed to heartlessness?, he asked.
He recalled that Abuja is made up of 36 states as all roads from every state leads to Abuja for survival. He called on government to at least add three more NNPC meja stations in the Federal Capital Territory if the problem of kerosene scarcity must be solved.
When asked of AP's performance score card, he objected government giving kerosene to AP station because, "they refused to follow government instruction to sale the product at N50 per litre. At AP even if 10 tankers discharge kerosene, before you know it, the product is finished.
Meanwhile, Mr. Olakunle as reported by NAN has called on the Department of Petroleum Resources to ensure that the owners of the six (6) depots closed for alleged profiteering were brought to book.
He wondered why kerosene could be more expensive than petrol and diesel. Stating that four litres of kerosene which sells between N750 and N800 at the black market is sold for N50 in some filling stations.
Mrs. Dorcas Timothy revealed that, she bought four litres of kerosene at N450 from Total filling station, which was against the price list on its board.
The Department of Petroleum Resources, however, said the depots had to be shot because the Petroleum Product Marketing Company (PPMC) had flooded the market with kerosene at a subsidized rate to enable Nigerians buy the product at government approved price.
It will be agreed that if adequate measure is put in place to sanction NNPC, AP and others who sell above the prescribed rates to individuals like the DPR did, set goals would be achieved.
In a chat with LEADERSHIP, a staff who pleaded anonymity, disclosed that the station was the only mega station in Abuja with only two nossles to attend to people from three states. He said most kerosene seekers often come from Kubwa, Mararaba, Bwari and Suleja representing Abuja, Niger and Nassarawa States respectively.
According to him, people starts coming here from 2.am and before dawn, the place will look like a market square. When asked why they abandoned the queue to attend only to black marketers, he said "our operation ends in the compound, so anything outside the demarcation line is not our business. The attendant blamed everything on the Task-force who collects bribes and then pick people from illegal line to be attended to."
The mega station attendants whose attention was drown to pickup-vans, and buses whose sits were removed and replaced with uncountable number of drums being illegally filled with diesel suspected to be mixed with already acquired kerosene by our reporter, said "we are fed up with these touts who are always ready to beat you mercilessly if you fail to comply with them. He added that they are always acting on the influence of alcohol and Igbo (The popular Indian hemp) "he stated."
He also stressed that most hungry civil servants often leave their home / offices with I.D cards without gallons but to collect what he called chua-chua from black markets just to stand in for them, thereby depriving the helpless masses of the products.
On why they often neglect kerosene seekers under the sun and in the rain, he said, "The people are too stubborn, you see them crowding around the pump and being conscious that we will be fined N150 thousand naira should NNPC officials on inspection notice that the pump is being over crowded, so we decided to stop sales until they (consumers) accept to comply. " he disclosed."
As at the time of this publication all efforts by our reporter to speak with the two supervisors who were present (Mr. Micheal and Baba Jibril as their names were given) proved abortive.
It is quite clear that black marketers now resolve to hiring disable persons from different begging point to queue and buy the products for them, with N1,000 as payment for their services. This was evident in the number of disable persons seen at the NNPC station, this to a large extent has reduced the number of beggars on FCT streets.
It is high time the attendants in all our filling stations get re-orientated on the consequences of their actions.
Access bank and the Federal Government should investigate the actions of these attendants so as to check the greed and excesses of unscrupulous elments who are bent on frustrating the laudable projects.
Governments should note that it is one thing to initiate plans and another to effectively implement it, because their actions so far is a clear picture of their inability to monitor and control the quality, and availability of kerosene that is been sold in the open market.
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