*Demand Sylva, Kyari’s sack
By Olugbenga Salami
Some transport groups have condemned the persistent fuel scarcity across the country and threatened to occupy the headquarters of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation Limited, NNPCL if the concern authorities fail to find a lasting solution to the problem.
This is even as they advised President Muhammadu Buhari to remove the Minister of State for Petroleum, Timipreye Sylva and the
NNPCL Chief Executive Officer, Mele Abba Kyari from office as solution to the fuel crisis.
The groups, which includes Commercial Motorcycles Association of Nigeria, COMAN; Tricycles Owners Association of Nigeria, TOWAN! National Association of Traders of Nigeria, NASTAN; Luxurious Bus Operators Union, LUBOU; Market Women Association of Nigeria, MAWAN and Trailer Drivers Association of Nigeria, TADAN lamented that the lingering problem has led to the high cost of pump price at filling stations.
In a communique issued on Monday after a one-day meeting of the associations in Lagos and made available to our correspondent in Abuja, they urged the federal government to rise to the occasion before the general elections as they were poised to stop their members from logistics arrangements by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC for the forthcoming general elections.
The communique which was signed by Chief Boniface Ogwu Ikedi, Dr Basil Ahoade Ekanem and four others, reads in part: “That a three-day warning of civil strike action be issued to the Federal Government to quickly fix anomalies in the oil and gas sector leading to hardship across the country.
“The association has issued a red alert to its numerous members across the six geopolitical zones to occupy the Nigeria National Petroleum Limited, NNPL headquarters located in the Central Business District, Abuja.
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“It’s also inconceivable that fuel is sold at licensed and government recognised filling stations for N350 to N400 per litre across the six geo-political zones, which has forced majority of the members to abandon their buses, motorcycles and the rest.”
The groups unanimously resolved that should the federal government fail to heed to all the resolutions herein, the NNPL towers would continue to be occupied till such a time that fuel is restored at filling stations across the country.
They further threatened to shut down any fuel retail outlet seen serving government vehicles, including INEC official cars, especially for the purpose of general elections.
The groups also condemned the naira scarcity and the total collapse of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN’s currency swap policy which has also brought untold hardship on Nigerians in a manner that has never been since the Biafra war about 53 years ago.
