The Nation Newspaper

Tag: persists

  • ‘Why petrol scarcity persists’

    ‘Why petrol scarcity persists’

    Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) marketers yesterday said  the product remained scarce in the hinterland.

    The National Secretary, Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Danladi Pasali, told The Nation over the phone that the issues with the Federal Government were only resolved last week.

    He said it takes about four days to one week for trucks laden with petrol to travel from Lagos and other depots to some parts of the country, saying the situation is improving in some states

    He said unless marketers start fuel importation after  resolving the issues with the government, there is bound to be pockets of fuel scarcity.

    His words: “ The product is still not yet available in the outskirts.

    You know that it was last week we resolved our issue to mobilise trucks to those areas.

    “From Lagos to some states, it takes five to six ,or one week because of the road situation. I am sure before the week runs ,there will be improvement in the situation.

    Pasali said the situation is improving, saying over 20 filling stations were selling in Plateau. It is improving. It is no longer like before.  Unless we all import at once to augment NNPC, there will still be pockets of scarcity here and there.”

    Meanwhile, the Executive Secretary, Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN), Obafemi Olawore, said the marketers had to always start from Abuja, Lagos before getting to other states, pointing out that the major cities have been cleared of queues and that fuel will soon go round to the outskirts in Nigeria.

  • Why corruption persists

    SIR: As human beings, there is often a dark part of our lives which nobody can access. I have one and you have one as well. Sigmund Freud said that it resembles the brain of a child, which will crave for something and insists on getting it or else raise hell in tantrums or sulk.

    At this moment of our lives as a nation, we usually put the blame of corruption at the doorstep of mismanagement. But as a matter of fact, we are all basically corrupt people with very few exceptions – black or white, Jew or gentile. A lot of us are driven by base instincts, and we either mask or hide these instincts because time and chance have not given us availability and opportunity.

    We want this, and we must have it even though we have not invested in the factors for the production of that that we crave for.  Corruption therefore is a craving based on either the development or underdevelopment of our minds. A poor man – and I use the word ‘poor’ without its pecuniary connotations – who gets within the corridors of power and has access to public funds will dip their fingers in the public purse. So will a ‘rich’ person. It’s all up there in our minds: the desire to build big houses, and buy fancy cars and drive around with beautiful women is driven by a craving. A craving is a thing that you always do without thinking, especially something that is hard to stop.

    A policeman who is poorly paid will still go to his beat knowing that on that his beat, there will be delinquents whom he can exploit. Once we allow our cravings to control us to the point of making them a routine and get rewarded somehow, corruption therefore becomes a strong habit. Habits are not demographic, gender sensitive and have no respect for class, race or creed. Once a habit takes hold, it becomes a parasite feeding on a host, and begins to ensure the survival of that host only because it wants to survive.

    Development will not take place if our minds are not developed first. All development comes from the mind, whether physical, spiritual or otherwise. But we must break the deadly habit of corruption by adhering to certain principles. Typical habits survive via a chain wherein there is a craving routinely executed and which mostly produces rewards.  We must try to do things differently, break the routine to transform our minds. A smoker will not quit smoking if there’s no alternative that will replace the reward the smoker gets from smoking.

     

    • Bob M. Etemiku,

    <majirioghene@yahoo.com>

  • Why crime persists, by NDE official

    The Coordinator of the Nigeria Directorate of Employment (NDE) in Lagos State, Bashir Okunola, has reflected on the increasing wave of crime, saying youths indulge in social vices because they lack avenue for skill utilisation to make money.

    He attributed the criminal tendencies among youths to poverty, ignorance about skill usage and what he described as the acquisition of skills without settlement.

    Okunola said: “One of the challenges we have is that people are trained to acquire skills. But, they do not make use of the skills. There is the acquisition of skills without settlement. That’s why we have criminals in the society.”

    The NDE official spoke at the “Skills Acquisition, Training and Empowerment for Women”, jointly organised by the directorate and House of Representatives member from Kosofe Constituency Rotimi Agunsoye.

    The 50 beneficiaries of the programme received training on hairdressing, catering, cosmetology, GSM repairing and bead making.

    Hailing Agunsoye for partnering with the directorate, Okunola said the programme, which trailed the skill acquisition and empowerment programme for 200 Kosofe youths, underscored the beauty of representation and concern for the indigent by the legislator.

  • Marketers halt importation as petrol scarcity persists

    Marketers halt importation as petrol scarcity persists

    Fuel queues grew longer in many cities at the weekend — no thanks to thedisagreement over subsidy between the government and marketers.

    It was gathered that because marketers have reduced their import, the scarcity may persist.

    But the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) plans to triple its supplies to mitigate the shortfall.

    Many filling stations in major cities, including Lagos and Abuja, at the weekend either did not sell the product or sold above the N87 price. Many sold at between N97 and N110 per litre.

    There were queues at filling stations. The situation got worse in Abuja yesterday, with many stations under lock and key.

    The few that opened to customers were besieged by residents. Queues extended to the roads.

    Besides, the petrol stations which operated yesterday only engaged in skeletal services, selling with few pumps.

    At 3.00pm in Kubwa, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and Oando stations were shut.

    The NIPCO opposite them was overwhelmed by customers.

    According to some of the motorists, who were sweating in the scoching sun, they had queued up for petrol as early as 6.00am.  It sold petrol for N87.

    Oando at Dutse Junction, also on the Kubwa expressway, had a long queue.

    There were two queues stretching over a kilometre to the NNPC super mega station on the same expressway.

    Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, NNPC, Mr. Ohi Alegbe, at the weekend cautioned the public to desist from panic buying.

    In a statement, the corporation said it was working with all downstream industry stakeholders.

    The statement said: “ The management of the NNPC has called on members of the public not to engage in panic purchase and hoarding of petroleum products as the Corporation is working with all downstream industry stakeholders to eliminate the noticeable artificially, induced fuel queues in some fuel stations.”

    Alegbe added that because of the prevailing situation, the corporation, which has been responsible for 50 per cent of nationwide product supply, has stepped in to address the scarcity by tripling supply from their tank farms in Lagos and other areas in the country, which will be trucked to the hinterland. He told The Nation that the NNPC within 48 hours from Sunday will be able to inject 600, 103.047 metric tonnes of premium motor spirit (petrol) equivalent of 688 million litres into the market.

    He urged to consumers to exercise patience and not engage in panic buying as the scarcity will be arrested as from tomorrow.

    The initial cause of the scarcity was a reaction to oil marketers’ report that their stock level was down and the replenishment was not feasible because of unpaid subsidies that stood at N264 billion. The signal from the marketers that they would not be able to import fuel compelled some retail outlets to slow down on sale.

    However, the Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, had a meeting with the marketers last week promised that the debt would be fully paid by end of this month. Based on this promise, the marketers agreed to continue with importation of petrol.

    However, the National Assembly last week cut the 2015 subsidy budget of N200 billion by half. This action, The Nation learnt, didn’t go down well with the marketers as their fears were heightened that the government may renege on their promise to pay the outstanding debt let alone additional debt. The marketers before now have been showing concern over budgetary allocation of N200 billion for subsidy in 2015, wondering if that may mean a step to full deregulation of the downstream sector.

    Although the Executive Secretary of the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN), Mr. Obafemi Olawore and the President of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Chief Chinedu Okoronkwo, could not be reached yesterday, Olawore confirmed to reporters that there was a drop in MOMAN members’ stock but with the meeting held with the Minister of Finance, they would step up importation.

    For IPMAN, it was learnt that the level of debt owed them is enormous. Theirs is a complex case because The Nation learnt that many of their members have issues with clearance on the imports they made and without the clearance there will be no payment.

    Besides, The Nation also gathered that the banks had stopped granting letters of credits (LCs) to IPMAN members, which worsened the supply situation.

    At the moment, only the NNPC through its subsidiary, the Pipeline and Products Marketing Company (PPMC), is importing petrol.

  • Why insecurity persists, by ex- Finance Minister

    Why insecurity persists, by ex- Finance Minister

    Lack of good governance and rule of law, among others, are some of the factors aggravating insecurity, a former Minister of Finance, Dr. Kalu Idika Kalu, said yesterday.

    He said insecurity would linger as long as inadequate dispensation of justice and stifling economic situation persist.

    Kalu was the guest speaker at the 14th Annual Mike Okonkwo Lecture.

    He spoke on “Overcoming the Nigerian Security Challenges: A panacea for national growth and development.”

    The renowned economist also listed the faulty political process, bloated personnel structure, intractable corruption and avoidable bureaucracy as other factors increasing security challenges.

    Said he: “Security is not necessarily about keeping a large army or police. We have to nip in the bud situations that can degenerate into strife and violence.

    “A situation where the shrinking job market is filled with nepotism and man-knows-man syndrome, there will always be violent reactions. When people cannot actualise their economic goals within reasonable means, the temptation to resort to violence becomes inevitable.”

    Kalu said most of the recent violent situations are not unconnected with the inability to achieve legitimate socio-economic goals at personal and community levels.

    He said when people cannot maximise their potential in a lawful and acceptable way, violence becomes an attractive option.

    Kalu advocated equal opportunities based on merit and a robust political culture to promote justice and democracy.

    On the Boko Haram insurgency, he said: “We can shout about the involvement of Al-Qaeda links, but we also replicate that tendency by our culture of impunity and failure to provide good governance. We are the architects of our misfortunes.”

    He took a swipe at travelling overseas to invite investors, saying such an approach is faulty without providing the enabling environment, favourable tax system and adequate security.

  • Why bank fraud persists, by police chief

    Failure of banks and other financial institutions to follow due process in employing their staff is the root cause of frauds in the sector, Commissioner of Police in charge of the Special Fraud Unit (SFU), Ikoyi, Lagos, Mr Tunde Ogunsakin, said yesterday.

    He said that the financial institution’s carelessness in properly screening applicants before employment often results in insiders’ connection in most fraud cases that had been investigated by his unit.

    Ogunsakin, who spoke on current trends in bank fraud, said: “In recent times, Electronic Banking Fraud has taken the lead in all manners of bank frauds in Nigeria. The reason for this can hardly be far-fetched. In a world where Information Technology has become a veritable foundation of modern- day-banking in a cashless environment, it is quite natural for fraudsters to devise their own criminal means and motives to circumvent the system.

    “The ambivalence of measures put in place by government regulators for the commercial banks/players to guarantee security of access and terminals which provide tools for e-products delivery notwithstanding, the fraudsters are always relentless to thwart these efforts. This fact is underpinned by regularly reported cases at the Police Special Fraud Unit involving frauds perpetrated through Automated Teller Machines (ATM), Mobile Telephony Banking, Internet Banking, Electronic (Wire) Instruction Transfer of Funds, Point of Sales (POS) Banking and Credit/Debit Cards Scheme.

    “The commonest among Electronic Banking Fraud is the Money Transfer (Wire) Instruction Schemes, where either the bank customers account passwords are either stolen or hacked into, or where the security pass codes of bank officials are compromised through the bank’s electronic platform, which is then illegally intruded upon by fraudsters.”

    He gave other factors as inordinate tolerance for corruption among public and private agencies; deteriorating quality of graduates in terms of professional value and ethics; chronic unemployment among graduates; weakness of the existing legislative/judicial institutions to make and enforce relevant laws on cyber crimes; inadequate training; poor recruitment policies; increasing and changing sophistication in technological equipment; and weak internal control of banking system.

    The police chief noted that to reduce the spate of bank frauds in general, commercial banks must strictly adhere to the guidelines on Electronic Banking in Nigeria (August 2003) issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

    He added that the cashless economy has graciously checkmated unwholesome cash circulation particularly in Lagos and other major commercial cities.

    Ogunsakin listed some of SFU’s challenges as lack of well- equipped forensic laboratories; data base of criminals, inadequate legislation; cost of investigation; inadequate working tools; inadequate collaboration with private sector; and inadequate international collaborative framework among others

  • Filani: Why crisis persists in Southwest PDP

    Filani: Why crisis persists in Southwest PDP

    What are the current challenges facing the People Democratic Party (PDP) in Southwest?

    Many challenges are facing the PDP in the Southwest; the challenges of unity, the challenges of how to win back the states that were taken away from us by the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), the challenges of reconciliation among our members, the challenge of ensuring that our members here in this region hammonised so that we can have electoral value. These are the challenges we are having in the Southwest PDP.

    How do you intend to solve them?

    We will take these challenges one by one and solve it. We are ready to rearrange, reconstruct, reeducate, rebuild, and reconcile our members.

    In Ogun State, there is the allegation that the Senator Femi Odujirin faction, which is loyal to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, is not yet ready to reconcile with the party’s state executive committee led by Bayo Dayo. What are you doing to make sure that they close ranks?

    I am not aware that some people are not ready to work with one other. I am only aware of the general idea of disunity and conflict, which is common to every state in the Southwest. Arising from the meeting we held recently with all the state chairmen, I discovered that the executive that came on board by the order of the court in Ogun state, I mean the Dayo-led executive, is making a good effort to unite the party in Ogun State. We are ready to assist, encourage and to ensure that any of the six states, which is ready to bring every member on board, receive our cooperation at the zonal level.I am aware that the Dayo-led executive is ready to open up to all and sundry in Ogun State.

    Recently, people loyal to former President Olusegun Obasanjo have been shove aside from leadership positions at the federal and regional level. Is the former leader now being left in the cold?

    I don’t know who is loyal and who is disloyal. What I know is that everybody in Yoruba land sees Baba Obasanjo as the father of all. I think it is the people that are saying they are more loyal to him than others, not baba saying that some people are not loyal to him. For instance, when we were appointed, he was the first person I called. After our inaugural meeting, I took the new executive to him and we have been having affairs with him to ensure that we have a coordinated executive in Ogun State. No executive was recognised by the national leadership in Ogun State before. There were two parallel executives. I think the former Southwest executive tried its best to harmonise the house, but they failed. There was a court judgment and there was order that arose from that judgment. The order we are talking about recognised the new executive, I mean Bayo Dayo-led executive. Nobody can disrespect Obasanjo. He was the President; he was a leader of the party as the President, he was the Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BOT) of the party. Nobody who can weed such a person away. I think what baba has achieved politically, no other person had achieved it in the past, not even Awolowo the great. The President holds Obasanjo in high esteem. Bamanga Tukur, under who I serve as the Special Adviser, Mobilization and Contact, hold him in high esteem.

    Why is Obasanjo no more enjoying cordial relationship with the Presidency?

    I am not aware that he is not enjoying a cordial relationship with the Presidency. But on the contrary, if you check the newspapers’ report on his birthday, President Jonathan described Obasanjo as a true democrat who loves Nigeria.

    How far can you go in resolving the personality clashes between Bode George in Lagos and other chieftains like Wahab, Ogunlewe, Obanikoro and others?

    The concern of the party is that, since 1999, we have not been able to make headway in Lagos. There are complaints about the leadership, lack of patriotism, betrayal, and other complaints. We want to resolve all these complaints so that we can win Lagos. Let me tell you that you don’t reconcile by elimination.

    What has the PDP Federal Government done for Lagos that will make Lagosians vote for the party?

    They have done a lot for Lagos. I am not in a position to speak for the federal government, but I know the federal governmen,t which is a product of PDP, has done a lot in terms of collaborating with the Lagos State government. Most of these projects that you are seeing are as a result of the collaboration between the two of them. I may not be able to go to details now,. but may be, when you see the representative of the federal government, they will be able to tell you what they have done together. But all I know is that Lagos has benefited a lot from the federal government.

    What is the position of your committee on the electoral litigation involving your party and the Labor Party in Ondo State?

    Our party will do everything within its power to ensure that we do not betray the trust the Ondo people have in us. All we need is the cooperation of the people of Ondo State.

    How can PDP really fight Labour Party in Ondo State when there is a perceived cordial relationship between the President and the governor?

    I don’t know, but I would have loved you to say the governor and the party. I want to assure you that the PDP, either at the national, state or zonal, is solidly behind our governorship candidate in Ondo State.

    Why has it become so difficult for Ayo Fayose and Segun Oni to work harmoniously in Ekiti State?

    I don’t know. We don’t have problems with our party in Ekiti state. We did not lose election in Ekiti State, but the tribunal judge, for one technical reason or the other, annulled the election of Segun Oni. Before Oni came to power, Fayose believed that he was short-changed. But I want to assure that all hands are on deck to ensure that our leaders in Ekiti State come together under our big umbrella so that we can reunite and fight the people who took the power from us. So, those of us that are leaders and elders are going to unite everybody and not only Fayose and Oni, but all the leaders and members to ensure that in 2014, when the next election comes up, we regain our lost glory in Ekiti.

    Will zoning play any role in the choice of the governorship candidate in Ekiti State?

    In accordance with the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the PDP, we are obliged to ensure that there are some rotations in the selection of the people for offices. The two governors that were produced by the PDP were from different zones; one from the North and the other from the Central. The South is now agitating that it wants to produce the governor. There is nothing wrong in that because we need to balance up the selection of the flag bearer of the party in the state. But our attention should be on how to win and ensure that there is the continuation of governance. The most important thing is to ensure that there is cooperation, unity and harmony. I do not want to take position on this issue now. When you look at the ACN, they do not have pre-election problem like we have and that is an advantage to them because they will not expose their candidate. The pre-primary campaigns round the state before the general election consume a lot of money than the real election. You will discover that you have been exhausted by the primaries and attracted emnity. So, we need to democratically select candidates without going to primaries, especially in the Southwest. The rigour of primaries is too much. But for now, nobody can do anything in that regard because it is the provision of our party’s constitution that says we should conduct primaries.

    Now that the North is clamoring for power shift in 2015, don’t you think that the crisis will engulf your party and lead to its defeat in 2015?

    Which North is asking for power shift? When you talk of power shift, I am not opposed to it because a lot of things have to be put into consideration. Let us first ask ourselves if the President is qualified to contest constitutionally or not? That is the basic question. If he is qualified to contest, why are we now saying he should abandon his constitutional right? Secondly, there is the provision in our constitution that says that whosoever that wants to contest is free to do so. When you read some comments in the papers, it is as if the President wants to commit an illegality. They forget that it is his constitutional right. The court has even passed judgment that the President has the right to contest. So, what else?

    Could you shed light on the pact between the President and some northern governors before he became the President?

    I am not aware of any pact. If there was any pact at all, I do not see it having any effect on him. There are political discussions that can enhance one’s chance, which does not in any way affect the issue on the table. Everybody is shifting the opportunity to himself. Is there any particular person who can be the beneficiary of that pact?

    Why are the President and the PDP governors fighting?

    They are not fighting.

    Why did the President mount pressure on the party leadership to set up the PDP Governors’ Forum?

    If the PDP, which at its inception had 27 governors, now has 23 governors, don’t you think there was one thing they should have done earlier so that they could speak with one voice? The ACN and other opposition parties are like the ostrich. The 6 of them go to everywhere together. Governors under the various parties can have fora where they deliberate on the way forward for their respective parties. You always see the ACN governors together all the time and that is the beauty of politics. Even, if only to exchange ideas and have uniformity of governance, they need to have a forum.

    But why is the PDP trying to sideline Amechi, the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and at the same time promoting a PDP governors’ forum led by Akpbio?

    Amaechi is one of them. There is no way they can neutralise him. Can you tell me the conflict between Amaechi and Akpabio? Amaechi cannot be the chairman of the governors’ forum and as the same time be the chairman of the PDP governors’ forum. It is the speculation from the enemy of our great party. Amaechi is one of us, no one is fighting him.

    When is the by-congress going to be held to fill the vacant positions in the PDP NEC vacated by Oyinlola and Oni?

    The party will determine that. The CWC, which is the highest administrative bodyof the party and the national executive of the party will determine that.

    Is APC not a threat to your party?

    That is a very interesting question. I do not see the APC as a strong opposition party. It is just a combination of some governors who want to compete with PDP governors. The minor parties will regret it. There are six ACN governors out of 10 governors in the party; the remaining four governors are from different parties. If we conduct an opinion poll in the six Southwest states, do you think they will support the amalgamation? It is just a means of expanding the ACN by its leaders so that people will stop calling ACN a regional party. They just want to give themselves a national outlook. Okorocha was in the PDP before and he wanted to be the President. He has joined the APC and Obi who knows how they formed this party with Ojukwu said he is not going. Even within the ANPP that joined them, there are divisions. Not all the ANPP members want to be in support of the amalgamation. Now what ideology do they share in common? CPC is collection of the people who want to make Buhari the President. In the process, they succeeded in producing just only one governor and the governor left the PDP because he did not win the primary. So, these are the people that are there. Ibikunle Amosun was in PDP before. He was a senator in PDP. The amalgamation is the wish of these governors and not their membership. CPC has just only one state. In that state, the majortiy of the House of Assembly members are in the PDP.

    If the performance of President Jonathan is a factor that will shape the 2015 elections, do you think he can garner votes as he garnered them in 2011?

    He will garner more. You know the man had experienced a lot of distractions. They are sufficient to submerge him, but because of his nature, he has been able to suppress them. If he had not had the kind of spirit he had, he would have been dislocated. Here is somebody who finished one year of his predecessor and he was just newly elected, they have not given him any opportunity to express himself. But I like him because he is always undaunted. He pursues the agenda of economic revival. The records are there for every Nigerian who cares to know that Nigeria has continued to move progressively. We have all reasons to support and stabilise President Jonathan in 2015. You cannot compare what we have now with the economy that was in place before now. If you read his programme and speeches very well, you will discover that he is trying to ensure that the economy is built on a solid rock. You can see that in the way he is collaborating with the private sector.

  • Confusion persists over killing of Oshiomhole’s aide

    Confusion persists over killing of Oshiomhole’s aide

    WHO killed Olaitan Oyerinde, Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole’s private security?

    The question remained as knotty as ever yesterday, with the Attorney General of the Federation’s office saying it is “confused”.

    The row over the murder continued in Abuja at the House of Representatives Committee on Public Relation’s hearing on the murder in Benin City last year.

    Oshimhole appeared before the Uzo Azubike-led committee and reiterated his claim that the police had a hand in Oyerinde’s murder.

    The police, represented by Deputy Inspector General of Police Peter Gana, disagreed.

    Gana, who stood in for Inspector General of Police Mohammed Abubakar, described the allegation as “false, baseless and intended to mislead the public”.

    He accused Oshiomhole of using his privileged position to impugn the reputation of the police and the character of its officers.

    Deputy Commissioner of Police (Investigation) Chris Esike described the allegation as “false, unfounded and diversionary.” According to him, no one could have done a better job than what the Police did.

    The Minister of Justice, who was represented by Mr. O. T. Olatigbe, a Deputy Director in the ministry, said it would have done security agencies a lot of good if they had a harmonised position, which would have made it easier for the AGF’s office to proceed with the judicial aspect of the case,

    According to Olatigbe, the police and the State Security Service (SSS) forwarded two “believable” reports to AGF’s office. “We don’t know which one to act upon. We are confused.

    “We need further investigation. We have two reports and both are convincing but we don’t know which to believe,” he said.

    The committee chair flayed the position of the AGF, describing it as sad that the AGF whom the President and citizens depended on for legal advice in such a situation, is saying it is confused.

    Azubuike said: “It is unfortunate. It is shameful and embarrassing that in a situation like this, the office of the Attorney General of the Federation is confused when the President of the country and everyone is looking up to you.”

    Oshiomhole was at the session with Mr. Femi Falana (SAN) who sat beside and whispered occasionally to him. The police chief came with Kyari Gadzama (SAN).

    Oshiomohle said the police were complicit in the murder of his aide. He said even police records showed that the suspects and the murder weapon that killed Oyerinde had been in the police custody since April 24, 2012, prior to death of his aide. He recounted how the SSS intimated him with credible progression of the investigations into the murder while the Police shunned all his efforts to know how the investigation was progressing.

    The governor said the principal suspect in the murder was in the custody of the police as at April 24, 2012 and that call logs supposedly used to link activist Rev. David Ugolor to the case had not been produced, in spite of their claim that it was in their possession. “Almost a year after, they cannot produce it,” he said.

    Oshiomhole flayed the recommendation in the police report that the investigating officer be promoted, adding that rather, DIG Gana and DIG Esike should be sacked for implicating Ugolor in the matter.

    The governor said the Police failed to address the issue and that the only thing they said on their inconsistency in the case was that the officer who made the entry was serving outside the country. “For the police to give such a flimsy excuse on such a key issue is unacceptable,” he added.

    Oshiomhole insisted that the police were involved in the murder, adding that “Those responsible have prevailed on the police to help shield them from prosecution.”

    The Director General of the State Security Service (SSS), Ita Ekpeyong, recounted how the agency was able to track down the perpetrators of the murder, adding that all the testimonies of the suspects point to the fact that it was armed robbery and not assassination as claimed by the police.

  • Fuel sells for N120 per litre as scarcity persists in Lagos

    A litre of petrol sold for N120 per litre in Lagos yesterday as many filling stations closed shop for lack of product, an indication that fuel scarcity in the state is far from over.

    The Nation’s investigation showed that most of the filling stations along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, from Lagos toll gate, Ojota, Ogudu Expressway Way, including outlets owned by the majors such as Total, Conoil and MRS were out of stock. The few that sold such as Amo Oil adjusted their pump price to N120 for a litre as against N97.

    Although some filling stations such as Total Association Avenue in Ilupeju and Mobil along Agidingbi and Oregun Road were dispensing at N97 per litre, The Nation gathered that in many parts of Lagos, most filling stations were dry.

    The refusal of marketers to import fuel as a result of the government’s reluctance to pay their over N200 billion subsidy reimbursement for the products imported, and the vandalisation of a major product distribution pipeline, Line 2B, at Arepo in Ogun State, have been blame for the scarcity of fuel in Lagos in the past two weeks.

    The oil marketing groups including the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN), Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association (DAPPMA), Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), and Jetties and Petroleum Tank Farms Owners of Nigeria (JEPTFON), said they will have a meeting this week to deliberate on their next action toward recovering their money from the government.

    The Director, Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Mr. Osten Olurnsola, at an a meeting, appealed to them (marketers) to step up product supply especially as the festive periods approach.

    He said: “We are approaching the end of year with the expected usual surge in social and festive activities. The attendant elevated quest for consumption of petroleum products cannot be over-emphasised. We wish to encourage marketers to ensure product availability to the public at this critical period. Marketers are strongly advised not to engage in acts that may lead to creation of products scarcity, and other associated ills such as hoarding and product diversion for profiteering.”

    Spokesman of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mr. Fidel Pepple, said the corporation is collaborating with the security agencies to fix the Arepo pipeline seriously damaged by oil thieves who also shot dead three employees of the Pipeline and Products Management Company (PPMC), a subsidiary of NNPC.