This is the first time Nigerians will be experiencing serious fuel scarcity in about two years after the fuel subsidy protest in January 2012. After that mother of all protests, Nigerians do not really deserve to go through what they are currently going through to get the
PMS product but unfortunately, “the madness” (fuel scarcity) is here again.
Over the years, our crude oil has been exported to be refined and brought back into the country for consumption and one of the arguments of those who protested against the removal of subsidy was that our refineries should be put back to work. If the government had started the process, the construction would have reached an advanced stage by now. Why the government is shying away from putting our refineries back to work is the question many Nigerians are finding it difficult to answer.
What will one write about our refineries now that has not been written by other enlightened and knowledgeable Nigerians? What is it to talk about that has not been said or still being said? Presently, it is only an insane and selfish person that would admit that things are getting better in Nigeria. The primary duty of a responsible government is to govern the state according to the wishes and interest of the people but unfortunately, the leaders we have today are so greedy, selfish, self-centered, corrupt, and above all pretend not to be conscious of the problems facing the nation.
Despite the assurance and promises by President Goodluck Jonathan during the last Independence Day anniversary speech that there will be total eradication of fuel scarcity and long queues at our filling stations, Nigerians are once again faced with their familiar nightmare. It all started about two weeks ago in some parts of the country but has now spread across the country. Now, motorists in most parts of the country are queuing for fuel. Most Filling stations have been closed down because they do not have the commodity. The few stations that sell the product do so at unofficial prices. Nevertheless, the question on the lips of many Nigerians is, where are the black marketers getting the products from, when most of the filing stations claimed not to have the product? Is it that they open and sell to the black marketers at night? If that is the answer, what percentage do the black marketers pay in return and to whom is the remittance made to?
All the relevant agencies have simply refused to tell Nigerians why they must struggle hard to get one of the many natural resources we have been blessed with as a country. Or, could this be our punishment for questioning the NNPC how our money are being spent? Nigerians demand an explanation and immediate solution to this problem. Without doubt, the availability of petroleum, a major product of crude oil is crucial to the continuous survival of the economy. Factories, companies, industries and, indeed, homes hugely rely on the availability of this product on a daily basis, for optimal performance. Fuel scarcity is one plague like corruption that we are yet to find a lasting solution to in the country. Successive governments in the country have had to contend with this problem without achieving much success.
At some point, especially when the refineries in the country are no longer functioning at best possible capacity, the crisis became so alarming that Nigerians were spending days at filling stations just to get access to this important product. The question of course, is, for how long would Nigerians continue to bear the burden of the incompetency of those who rule us? It is bad enough that our lives are being endangered as a result of security challenges. It is bad enough that electricity supply has remained epileptic, in spite of several reforms and fund committed into the sector. It is however, undesirable that Nigerians should continue to suffer before they get access to fuel, a product that providence has blessed the country with.
It is not natural to go to bed with same nightmare always but Nigerian leaders both past and present have seen reasons to make corruption, insecurity, epileptic power supply, fallen standard of education, lack of quality healthcare delivery a reoccurring madness in our society. The action of the present administration towards the resurface of long queues in the filling stations is a clear indication that our leaders are nonchalant about the plight of Nigerians.
Are our leaders afraid of the cabal in the oil and gas sector who have vowed that our refineries will not function in order for them to continue causing the untold hardship to the citizenry?
Even if I weep for Nigeria, my tears will not solve the problem, my heart bleeds when I think of what the future holds for the younger generation. My only consolation is that we will get it right someday like every other developed country did.
