“I Especially Apologize” – President Buhari Reacts To Fuel Scarcity, Electricity Shortages In Nigeria

President Muhammadu Buhari has broken his silence and apologized to Nigerians over the fuel scarcity and electricity shortages that have befallen the nation in the past few weeks.

According to the President in a statement on Wednesday, the situation is regrettable but the government is working hard to restore normalcy.

Buhari in a statement on Wednesday which was issued by his spokesperson, Mallam Garba Shehu apologized for the strain caused by the situation on both individuals and businesses.

He assured that in the coming days, the ques are expected to disappear nationwide as the government is working with relevant stakeholders to resolve all issues.

According to the President, “the administration knows the fuel shortage has placed a strain on Nigerian citizens and businesses, but relief is on the way. I especially apologize to all sections of society for this.

“The government is working round the clock to attend to this issue. An action plan agreed upon earlier this month is being implemented to address the scarcity. Working together with the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN) and the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), this plan is now bearing fruit. Sufficient fuel supply has returned to a handful of states, with the queues at stations falling. In the coming days, we expect this to be the case across the rest of the country.

“Looking to the longer term, funds are being targeted toward keeping fuel availability affordable for the country. The international energy markets have surged drastically in recent months, the government will however ensure that consumers are protected against these price spikes.”

The President added that he has given relevant agencies such as the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), the NNPC as well as security agencies to clamp down on those causing artificial fuel scarcity.

On the issue of electricity blackouts President Buhari said the main challenge has been identified to be low gas power generation as a result of sabotage of gas pipelines leading to the shutdown of power plants coupled with ongoing routine maintenance on other gas power plants.

He added however that “the blackouts seen in the national grid are also being addressed. A dip in hydroelectric generation due to seasonal pressures has coincided with technical and supply problems at thermal stations. On this, the government is also working tirelessly to resolve the issues at the latter to guarantee sufficient power flows into the national grid.

“To recover over 1000MW, actions were agreed upon between the players in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) and also NNPC. The actions targeted the National Integrated Power Project (NIPP) plants, (Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) and power plants run under NNPC Joint Ventures, Agip and Shell (NAOC and SPDC) and progress on the key actions have already ensured the restoration to the grid of 375MW after the pipeline from “Okpai 1” was repaired.

“To also ramp up the underutilized capacity of the NDPHC capacity, a USD 50 Million Gas Supply agreement is being finalized to secure the sustainability of up to 800MW of underutilized NIPP assets,” he added.

President Buhari appealed for patience from the citizens, assuring that the government is giving attention to all the problems.