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The Niger Delta Youth Council and other Southsouth stakeholders have demanded for the immediate resignation of the Minister of State for Petroleum, Timipre Sylva and the Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Ltd. Mele Kyari, for the immeasurable damages and hardship inflicted upon Nigerians by the importation of contaminated PMS.
They said the two most senior persons in government must be sacked for the negligence that has caused unmitigated damage to consumers of the contaminated petroleum products which has compounded fuel scarcity in the country.
The groups at a joint press conference expressed worry that four weeks after the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Ltd came up with reports of its investigation into the firms’ responsible for the importation of the contaminated fuel, no sanction has been meted out to any of them.
The statement signed by the National Coordinator of the Niger Delta Youth Council Engr Jator Abido and the Coordinator, MOSIEND, Conrade Thompson Fouye wondered why innocent Nigerians would continue to suffer for the negligence of persons occupying position of trust and authority, adding that several weeks after the national disaster, the full wrath of the law has not been meted out on affected persons or agency of government.
Full text of the statement:
TEXT OF PRESS CONFERENCE BY THE NIGER DELTA YOUTH COUNCIL AND OTHER YOUTH STAKEHOLDERS ON THE IMPORTATION OF CONTAMINATED PETROL MOTOR SPIRIT THAT HAS CULMINATED INTO SCARCITY OF THE PRODUCT THEREBY CAUSING UNTOLD HARDSHIP ON CITIZENS.
Protocol
Gentlemen of the press, it is with great sense of patriotism and desire for a better Nigeria, that we address you today on the lingering challenge of the importation of contaminated Petrol Motor Spirit (PMS also known as fuel), that has plaqued major cities of our nation.
Recall that over a month ago, citizens of our oil producing nation became aware of the circulation of contaminated fuel. As a result of this, several car owners and other users of the product suffered severe damages to their cars and other machines.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), the sole importer of finished petroleum products in the country addressed a press conference and confirmed the circulation of contaminated product. It also assured the general public that it had taken necessary steps to recall the bad product. The Apex organization of the Nigerian Oil Industry, however, subtly made attempts to absolve itself of any wrongdoing, and identified MRS, Emadeb, Brittania-U, and Oando as being responsible for the importation of high methanol petrol into Nigeria, which led to the circulation of contaminated products into our markets. The Apex body in questionable circumstances, also excluded Duke Oil, by withholding information on their involvement in this national disaster.
Surprisingly, the companies accused by the NNPC have vehemently denied any involvement in the importation of high methanol petrol.
The subsequent silence on the matter, and reluctance to examine the failure of several agencies of government to perform their statutory mandates and responsibility of ensuring quality and safety of petroleum products imported in the country has left a bitter taste in our mouth, and questioned the will of the Government to serve its citizens.
It is alarming and unfortunate that several weeks after the emergence of this national disaster, the full wrath of the law has not been metted on either an affected person or agency of government, rather innocent Nigerians have been abandoned to continue to suffer immensely for an action that was birth by the negligence of persons occupying positions of trust and authority. More worrisome is the fact that the scarcity of the product has persisted after several assurances by the NNPC of adequate availability of the product and supply.
My fellow Nigerians, you will agree with me, that if we must move forward as a nation there must be consequences for actions. The dastardly act of a few individuals have had negative economic implications, and thrown our struggling economy into shambles, all due to the unprofessional and careless management of the situation. Amidst the prevailing economic challenges, Nigerians have been subjected to source for PMS under torturous conditions as long queues have persisted, and the products have been purchased at an unnecessarily exorbitant price, in some cases as much as 700 Naira per litre, despite sleeping at petrol stations.
As patriots, we have reviewed the situation and have discovered that certain persons occupying positions of trust and authority in the PMS distribution ecosystem have failed in their responsibilities and duties to Nigerians. We cannot sit, and continue to watch as Nigerians suffer from the incompetence and ineptitude of certain individuals occupying government offices, who have aided this deliberate acts of sabotage. Our meticulous findings have revealed that this unfortunate event portends the ability to cast aspersion on the credibility of President Muhammadu Buhari, who since assumption of office has made tremendous efforts to make persistent fuel scarcities a thing of the past in our nation.
We have written to the Code of Conduct Bureau, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Independent and Corrupt Practices Commission, and other relevant agencies of Government, intimating them of the rot and unending decay within the ranks of government, and urged them to purge the system of these saboteurs. As we await their action, we have taken further steps and are strategizing to ensure that the right thing is done.
To this extent, we demand the immediate resignation of the Minister of State for Petroleum, Timipre Sylva, and the Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Mele Kyari, for the immeasurable damages and hardship inflicted upon Nigerians by the importation of contaminated PMS.
For failure to perform their constitutional duties to the public, we further demand that the duo tender unreserved apologies to the entities it hurriedly accused of importing contaminated fuel to cover for their failures.
The economic loss and damage caused by their actions are too grievous to be forgone, hence we demand that the minister of state for petroleum and NNPC management come clear of the havoc caused by these acts of recklessness that has not only caused economic losses and hardship but also put lives and businesses of Nigerians at risk.
To remedy the hardship and damage suffered by several Nigerians, we loudly add our voice to the calls made by several well-meaning Nigerians and various groups, and solicit the federal Government, to as a matter of necessity take steps to ensure that owners of vehicles and machineries damaged as a result of the contaminated fuel are adequately compensated to quell their sufferings. This should be done in addition to holding those at the Helm of Affairs Responsible, and severely sanctioned for Abuse of office, Conflict of Interest and Economic Sabotage. This issue has exposed a lot of inadequacies in the petroleum supply chain and everything must be done to ensure that the sector is sanitised.
While basking in the capacity of the federal government to remedy this wrong, we are constantly confronted with questions such as: where was the NMDPRA when this dirty fuel arrived on the high sea, landed at the Atlas Cove, discharged into smaller vessels to depots and finally made it to the market without detection by the agency that ought to be up and doing as a new creation of the law?
To ensure that citizens of our nation are duly compensated for their losses, we shall be mobilising over 10,000 car owners from the Niger Delta Region whose cars got damaged due to the bad product, to embark on a mass compensation collection at all NNPC outlets and facilities close to them within the Niger Delta as well as the cities of Abuja and Lagos. We are by this medium directing the NNPC to ensure that all its outlets cooperate with our compensation drive, or put in place alternative adequate means of compensation for the losses suffered.
In conclusion, let it be known that our demands are in tandem with the preamble of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended, wherein we the people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria agreed to promote good government and welfare of all persons in our nation, in the principle of freedom, equality and justice. We therefore demand that our government recognizes the supremacy of the constitution, our ground norm, and grant our demand.
God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.