Nigeria News
Nigeria’s Fuel Scarcity Is Man-Made – Senate President
Dr. Bukola Saraki presides over Senate plenary (File Photo)
Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki has attributed the current fuel scarcity been experienced in the country to artificial scarcity created by some unscrupulous elements in the society.
Saraki made the submission on Tuesday during his welcome back speech delivered on the floor of the senate on resumption of senators from the 2017 end of year recess.
“Let me take this opportunity to wish you – my distinguished colleagues, your families and all Nigerians – a happy new year. I am not unmindful of the sobering fact that the new year has met many citizens in a reflective mood.”
“Many were on the queue for petrol; many households are grief-stricken. This mood of reflection is also one from which no lawmaker is immune; what affects one, affects all. When one part of the body is hurting, the whole body hurts, and this holds true for the entire nation.”
“We have all been witnesses to the hardships with which many Nigerians saw in the new year, stuck on fuel queues tailing from petrol stations in many of our cities.”
“It has been disheartening to see, especially during the festive period when Nigerians should have been enjoying carefree time with their loved ones, with enough petrol in their tanks to make that cherished journey to their various hometowns.”
“We, as representatives of the people, feel the pain of the people. Things being the way they were, we could not but respond to the crisis.”
“I therefore had to direct members of the Senate Investigative Panel on Fuel Scarcity to cut short their recess to commence hearings into the lingering problem; and that work is ongoing. I commend the committee for their prompt response and the work carried out.”
The Senate President, while appealing for more patience on the part of Nigerians, promised to find a lasting solution to the issue of fuel scarcity in the country.
“We seek the cooperation and understanding of Nigerians as we try to get to the bottom of this issue. My own estimation of the fuel scarcity phenomenon is that it is man-made. We thought we had left the problem of fuel queues firmly in the past in this country, but sadly, that appears not to be the case. In any event, there is a problem, and it must be solved.”
“We await the findings of the Investigative Panel on Fuel Scarcity, firm in our resolve that whoever is responsible must pay the price for visiting this needless hardship upon our people.”
