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Thepledge Big Story: Will There Ever Be An End To Fuel Scarcity, Queue in Nigeria?

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By Augustine Akhilomen

While many Nigerians are still struggling to cope with an epileptic power supply that has been a bane in the development of the country for more than four decades, the nation was yet again plunged into an unnecessary crisis caused by scarcity of fuel, leaving in its wake long queues on major roads across the country.

Filling stations were shut down despite having the product to sell. While the few ones that had the product witnessed a barrage of long queues of vehicles and kegs, thereby paving the way for the black market to thrive at will.

According to Statista, Nigeria was the leading oil producer in Africa as of 2022. Oil production amounted to roughly 69 million metric tons in the country. Libya, Algeria, and Angola followed, each with an output above 50 million metric tons. In the same year, the overall production of oil in Africa, including crude oil, shale oil, oil sands, and NGLs, reached 332.3 million metric tons, 3.76 percent less than in 2021

It is also on record that Nigeria is the fifth-largest oil-producing nation in the world but still struggles with the issue of fuel scarcity. However, many observers had thought that with the removal of fuel subsidies by the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on May 29, 2023, it would put an end to this perennial issue of fuel crisis scarcity, but it appears the story remains the same.

Even so, many had wondered why the nation still grappled with this never-ending crisis despite having refineries that never seemed to have been utilized by the present and past administrations. The country has four refineries and sadly, none of them appear to be working. What we have been told over the years is that millions of dollars have been spent by successive administrations to put them in order. “The refineries have not worked and nobody is jailed or punished for not doing their job”, says Tunde Ajayi, a Lagos based lawyer.

Observers however are of the view that while the Dangote Refinery offers a glimmer of hope, it is a private endeavor that should not absolve the government of its responsibility to restore Nigeria’s public refineries to full working condition.

The projections for the Kaduna refinery to resume operations, according to the federal government, is by late 2024 and the Port Harcourt refinery that was supposed to restart operation in April 2024 is yet to be reopened.

The general belief however is that if the country can put the existing refineries in order and they are allowed to function at optimum capacity, it will ease the pressure of importing fuel into the country.

“I just continue to wonder why our four refineries have failed to work, while countries with one or two refineries are doing well in distributing their petroleum products. I think it all bothers on corruption by government officials who are benefitting from the regime of importing petroleum products. So, until the Tinubu government comes out decisively against those sabotaging the country, we would remain in this hole, Ajayi said.

Again, while past presidents have clung to the position of Minister of Petroleum, it has not in any way solved the problem or crisis in the petroleum sector, rather, we have seen an upsurge in oil theft and utter mismanagement in the sector.

Since the inception of the current democratic dispensation, the president has assigned the Petroleum portfolio to his office. What this means is that the president cannot be held accountable when there is the need for it, either by the people or by the National Assembly. This is not good for responsible governance and accountability.

Hence, there are many questions on the lips of Nigerians, chief among them is if there will ever be an end to the incessant fuel crisis?

Reacting to this development, the Executive Director of Citizens Advocacy for Social and Economic Rights, Frank Tietie, said it is disgraceful for Nigeria to be facing the Premium Motor Spirit crisis all the time.

His words: “I am surprised, shocked, and highly embarrassed that this is happening after all the much talked-about subsidy removal to ensure efficiency in the supply of petroleum products.

“It is highly disgraceful that this is happening after a certain explanation by the NNPCL that the queues and shortage of PMS were a result of logistics problems. What a nebulous way to take Nigerians for granted. Whether it is logistics associated with a lack of trucking facilities or anything that has to do with transportation,” he said.

“We all know that it is for certain mysterious reasons that refineries have refused to work, whereas we understand that it benefits a certain establishment class in this country that the refineries won’t and will never work, no matter the commitment of any of the administrations, whether it was Goodluck Jonathan, Muhammad Buhari, or the current administration of Bola Tinubu.

“The refineries won’t work. Everybody is expecting the Dangote refinery to kick off so we can have a measure of the availability of PMS. We run a country in such a manner that we take the people for granted, and we will now see people run the government and states without any sense of responsibility or shame.

“How can we, as a major oil-producing country in the world, have this kind of situation? And then we have an NNPCL that wants to pride itself on saying that it is competing with a certain Saudi ARAMCO whereas it cannot provide any form of energy security for its country.”

In the same vein, the National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, wondered why fuel supply has deteriorated under the nose of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited, NNPCL.

“President Bola Tinubu oversees the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources, tasked with directing petroleum resources and activities in Nigeria. At the helm of the NNPCL stands Mele Kyari, the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO), whose tenure has been marked by the worst fuel crisis in recent memory. Nigerian students have never witnessed such prolonged shortages and disruptions to fuel supply, and we refuse to accept this as the new normal.”

Meanwhile, Ifeanyi Ubah, chairman of the Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream), has urged the federal government to be intentional about the modular refineries as a strategy to end Nigeria’s fuel scarcity.

“I am proposing that the government should come up with a very laudable position to stimulate the development of modular refineries that can refine crude oil within the riverine areas and use competent experts to operate them.

“The government needs to take a big leap in investing in these modular refineries. They will grow bigger. We do not need to place the sector on a single operator. Nobody does it. Everybody wants to maximize profit. The only thing that will crash prices is competition.

“We can use between $300 million and $500 million to establish one refinery, and the owners can recoup their monies within five to 10 years. We can use money from local content and other sources to energize modular refineries. This will make Nigeria self-reliant in refining its petroleum products. So, let us take a step,” Mr. Ubah said.

Nigeria’s vast oil wealth should be a blessing, not a curse that condemns its citizens to perpetual hardship and underdevelopment.

The Tinubu administration inherits this challenge and must approach it with unwavering commitment, innovative solutions, and the political will to implement comprehensive reforms. Therefore, the portfolio should be assigned to a competent technocrat who will be given the responsibility of taking hard decisions that will take us out of this mess. Enough of politicizing this important sector!

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Big Lie, We Never Said JSS, SSS Education System Will Be Scrapped -FG Clarifies

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By Augustine Akhilomen

The Ministry of Education has distanced itself from reports circulating in the media that the ministry is aiming at scrapping the Junior Secondary School (JSS) and Senior Secondary School (SSS). educational structure in the country.

Recall that on Thursday several media outlets had suggested that a new policy aimed at scrapping the Junior and Senior Secondary School system was already in effect, with the introduction of a 12-year basic education system.

However, the ministry in a statement issued by the Director of Press at the Federal Ministry of Education, Folasade Boriowo on Friday, stated that reports of an immediate policy change on the matter were untrue.

“The attention of the Federal Ministry of Education has been drawn to misleading reports suggesting that the Federal Government has scrapped Junior Secondary School (JSS) and Senior Secondary School (SSS) and replaced them with a new 12-year uninterrupted basic education model. We wish to categorically state that this is not true,” the statement issued on Friday read.

“The proposal seeks to migrate to 12 years of compulsory education while retaining the current 6-3-3 structure,” the ministry said.

The ministry said there will be deliberations with stakeholders before a final decision on the proposal is made.

It said, “The final decision on whether to adopt this reform will be made at the October 2025 National Council on Education Meeting.

“The Ministry urges the public to disregard the false claim that JSS and SSS have been scrapped. The Federal Government remains committed to policies that enhance access to quality education while aligning with global best practices,” the ministry’s statement read.

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Peter Obi Urges Transparency After Rise In 2025 Budget

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The presidential candidate of Labour Party in the 2023 polls, Peter Obi, on Friday called for greater transparency and accountability as a result of the recent increase in the Budget of Restoration to ₦54 trillion due to reported revenue growth.

Obi made the call in a statement on X, noting that while the sources of revenue were detailed, there was no corresponding breakdown of expenditures to justify the budget increase.

The LP chieftain stressed the need for Nigerians to be informed on how public funds are allocated and spent.

“For transparency and accountability sake, Nigerians need to know how the resources generated from them are being allocated to ensure that they are judiciously spent on the country’s development and the well-being of the people,” Obi said.

According to the former Anambra governor, budgetary expenditures should be directed toward critical areas of development, including education, healthcare, security, and poverty alleviation, to ensure meaningful impact on citizens’ lives.


Yesterday, I read about the increase in the Budget of Restoration to ₦54 trillion due to increased revenue.

While the sources of this revenue were detailed, there is no corresponding breakdown of expenditures to justify the increase. For transparency and accountability sake…

— Peter Obi (@PeterObi) February 7, 2025

He said Nigerians are still waiting for a detailed account of the execution and expenditures of the Renewed Hope budget, which was passed in December 2023.

While urging the government to provide clarity on how the funds from that budget have been utilized, he wants the “National Assembly to seize this opportunity to obtain and make public the full details of the 2024 budget of Renewed Hope budget.”

He also called on lawmakers and government officials to prioritise openness and accountability to safeguard public trust as preparations begin for the 2025 Budget of Restoration,

“Transparency in this regard is crucial for ensuring accountability, learning from past budgets, and making informed decisions for the nation’s progress.

“As we work towards passing the Budget of Restoration for 2025, let us uphold openness, accountability, and the welfare of the Nigerian people. We owe it to ourselves, our children, and the future of our great nation,” he stated.

Obi’s demand comes two days after President Bola Tinubu hiked the proposed 2025 budget from ₦49.7 trillion to ₦54.2 trillion, citing additional revenues generated by key government agencies.

Tinubu conveyed the budget adjustment in separate letters sent to both the Senate and the House of Representatives, which were read during Wednesday’s plenary by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.

The President disclosed that the increase was driven by ₦1.4 trillion in additional revenue from the Federal Inland Revenue Service, ₦1.2 trillion from the Nigeria Customs Service, and ₦1.8 trillion generated by other government-owned agencies.

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TUC Threatens To ‘Down Tools’ Over Telecom Tariff Increase

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The Trade Union Congress (TUC) has threatened to go on strike if the Federal Government does not rescind its recent approval for the 50 per cent increase in telecommunications tariff.

The President of the TUC, Comrade Festus Osifo, made this known during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday.

Following its National Administrative Council (NAC) meeting earlier in the day, the TUC condemned the proposed tariff hike, saying that it is not only ill-timed but also a deliberate act of economic oppression against Nigerians.

Asked if the union will down tools and enter the streets if the FG doesn’t act on their demand for the reversal of the decision, Osifo replied, “Yes! Correct!”

On the date the action will begin, Osifo said, “What we had today is the NAC meeting to bring about the sensitization. After that, we will have the CWC meeting and the NEC meeting. So, it is the responsibility of NEC of TUC to give a date and define the next line of action.”

The TUC president advised the Federal Government to tackle the root cause of the problem which he said is forex management rather than the symptoms.

“If you know what the root cause of the problem is, why would you start looking at the symptoms? So, all the increment that we are seeing today is the symptoms of the FX mismanagement.

“So, all we are asking is that let us sit down, let us look at how we can go back to that root cause because we strongly believe that if that root cause is addressed, there is no need for these symptoms to prop up,” Osifo said.

He acknowledged that the telecommunications companies are facing high costs of operations, but said that it would be better for them for the government to provide economic stability that will reduce the cost of operation instead of always looking to increase tariffs.

The proposed telecom tariff increase has raised dust among labour unions and civil society organisations. The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) had fixed a protest on Tuesday but suspended the action following a talk with representatives of the Federal Government.

After extensive deliberation, both the NLC and the FG agreed to set up a 10-man committee comprising five members from both parties to review and submit its report within two weeks.

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