Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, has pleaded with President Muhammadu Buhari, to use his second term in office to end Nigeria’s reliance on imported petroleum products to meet local consumption.
President of the Union, Prince Williams Akporeha, who spoke in Lagos yesterday, said Nigerians would forever remember President Buhari if he could ensure that the issue of imported petroleum products became a thing of the past before the end of his tenure.
According to Prince Akporeha:”It is a shame and a serious embarrassment that Nigeria, the 6th leading crude oil producing countries in the world depends on imported products to meet local demands. How long can we continue to live with the issue of subsidy removal and fuel scarcity? How long can we continue to depend on the vagaries of international crude price to determine the prices of the products we consume locally?
“How long will Nigerians continue with this incessant fuel scarcity and fear of fuel scarcity? The report that Nigeria has spent over N6trillion on subsidy for the Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) also known as petrol in the last few years is a serious concern to us as Nigerians and as NUPENG particularly. Nigerians deserve to enjoy the benefits of being an oil producing country.
“As a Union, NUPENG wants to stress that it will be economically suicidal to completely remove subsidy on PMS without putting in place robust palliatives for the citizenry to cushion the effects on the masses.
However, NUPENG pleads with President Buhari as a patriot whose love for Nigeria and Nigerians remain undiluted and unquestionable, to use his second term in office to permanently end Nigeria’s reliance on imported petroleum products to meet local demands. We are urging Mr President to do all within his powers to ensure that the four public refineries are fully rehabilitated to perform at full capacity, as well as ensure that more refineries come on stream to refine products for not only local consumption but for export as well.
“If the President can do this, Nigerians will forever remember him and be grateful to him. As a Union, we will give the president all necessary supports required from us to put an end to this shame of depending on imported products for local consumption.”
Meanwhile, ahead of the Easter holidays, NUPENG President told members to double their efforts in fuel distribution saying “we want to use this medium to once again, appeal to NUPENG members involved in petroleum distribution chain to intensify efforts at ensuring unhindered free flow of supplies to filling stations nationwide before, during and after the Easter celebrations.”
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