No Deregulation Until Yar'Adua Returns
By Adeola Yusuf on 17/01/2010
Views: 412 | Comments: 0
The Federal Government will not go ahead with the planned deregulation of the downstream sector of the Nigeria's oil sector until President Umaru Yar'Adua returns to the country from his sick bed in Saudi Arabia, Daily Independent gathered at the weekend.
Minister of Petroleum Resources, Dr. Rilwanu Lukman, Minister of State in the Petroleum Ministry, Odein Ajumogobia, and Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Sanusi Barkindo, now run away from questions on the date the policy would take off for fear of losing their jobs.
The Presidency has earlier barred ministers and top officials of the NNPC from making public comment on deregulation and a source at the Presidency equally told Daily Independent that this new measure "is to stop anybody from putting the country into economic crisis."
He continued: "We all know that the absence of Mr. President has created some kind of political crisis and we cannot afford to allow anybody put us in economic crisis. Anybody, who announces this, without being authorised, will be sacked immediately after the President returns."
Within one week, the duo of Lukman and Ajumogobia deliberately evaded questions on the date that deregulation would take off.
Lukman dodged the question while addressing a press conference after the stakeholders meeting convened by the NNPC in Lagos.
Strong indication to the sealed-lip order on Ministers and NNPC executives emerged as Ajumogobia on two occasions also deliberately evaded a question posed to him by Daily Independent on the take off date for deregulation.
A Presidency source had earlier told our correspondent that the Presidency stopped the Ministers from making public comment on deregulation "to avoid misrepresentation of opinion, which can fan the ember of fuel scarcity in the country."
Lukman had, for the umpteenth time, declared that the government was not looking back on his policy of deregulation and when Daily Independent asked Ajumogobia of the new take off date for the policy he simply left the question unanswered.
Ajumogobia, who addressed the media after a stakeholders meeting at the Lagos office of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), turned down attempt made by our correspondent to get a word from him on the question.
Meanwhile, the Minister expressed confidence that the problem of fuel short supply in Nigeria would become a thing of the past soon.
He admitted for the first time that the perennial fuel scarcity rocking Nigeria was caused by shortage in supply, stating that the crisis has put the country in shame.
Addressing newsmen before the close-door meeting, Ajumogobia disclosed that the government was ready to ensure that "the embarrassment, which this scarcity has caused the nation, does not go beyond 2009."
"This will be the last time that Nigeria suffers the national embarrassment as one of the biggest oil producers in the world with perennial fuel scarcity. It is a great shame and national embarrassment for the country," he reiterated.
The Federal Government had, through the NNPC taken up the full responsibility of fuel importation after major oil marketers have stopped fuel importation due to non-payment of their claims.
The NNPC, which was hitherto responsible for the importation of 47 per cent of fuel need, now, according to Ajumogobia imports, 100 per cent of the 32 million litres consume daily in Nigeria.
Stating that the stakeholders meeting was meant to put a stop to the crisis, the minister pointed out that the scarcity was compounded by a line up of issues.
"Initially, the scarcity was seen as a distribution problem especially after the protest by Petroleum Tankers Drivers both in Abuja and Lagos. The Lagos one was due to disagreement with officials of the Nigerian Navy.
"After this, there was a fire on Mosimi system 2B line. This was compounded by speculations that deregulation will start come November 1. "
Source Daily Independent
Posted by afamcart on 20/01/2010 12:42:26 AM