Stephen Odoi-Larbi and Linda Akratsi Kotey
11 November 2009
The issue of the recent fuel scarcity reared its head in Parliament yesterday, with both the Majority and Minority Members blaming each other for the shortage of the commodity in Accra and other parts of the country.
Whilst the Minority accused the NDC government of inefficiency, the Majority contended that the issue was as a result of the Tema Oil Refinery's heavy indebtedness to some Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) and other players in the oil industry that was making it difficult for the supply of the commodity nationwide.
However, after heckling each other for sometime, the Deputy Energy Minister in charge of Power, Hon. Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, who represented the Energy Minister to answer questions in the legilative house, said that the problem of the fuel shortages in Accra and other parts of the country was as a result of some OMCs indebtedness to TOR.
According to him, much as measures have been put in place to effect payment to the OMCs indebted to TOR, those companies in arrears have been cut off from the supply chain, with a directive also issued to the National Petroleum Company (NPC) to begin a process that will ensure that the anomaly does not occur again. "TOR is making sure that the OMCs pay for the petroleum products that are supplied", he noted.
TOR's liquidity problems have resulted in the various banks shying away from giving credit facilities to the OMCs. This has for sometime now resulted in fuel shortages in the country, thereby attracting debate in the country, with other people accusing government of not doing enough to correct the situation.
The government in response has attributed the problem to TOR's heavy indebtedness to Ghana Commercial Bank, some OMCs and other players in the oil industry. As a result of this, oil supplies from Nigeria were cut off, forcing the government to look else where to save its image.
In ensuring an effective and efficient oil supply in the country, transaction advisor, Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI) was appointed by the government towards that directive.
Fuel supply to the rural areas, according to Hon. Kwaku Agyemang Manu, is even worse than what is happening in the urban areas, a situation he said has forced the people to look elsewhere, especially to the neighbouring countries to address their needs. "I'm just coming from my constituency, people are now buying fuel from Cote d' Ivoire for consumption", he fumed.
But the Majority Leader, Hon. Albert Bagbin disagreed with Mr. Agyemang Manu's statement noting "there is no fuel shortage in the country as at now".
Bagbin's intervention agitated the minority members who shouted at him in protest. Hon. Osei-Kyei Mensah-Bonsu, in his reaction to the Majority Leader's statement questioned the basis with which the leader's intervention was made, arguing that he was completely out of order based on the Standing Orders of the House.
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