Chinedu Ukadike, the National Publicity Secretary of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has addressed the pressing issues surrounding fuel scarcity in Nigeria.
Speaking on News Central’s program, Breakfast Central, Ukadike said that those who propose policies in the petroleum sector are eggheads adding that the Nigerian lawmakers wanted to deprioritise the oil and gas industry.
“Well, first of all, I will say that you know, government enact policy. And the people who also proposed these policies are eggheads. You know, sometimes they might not be able to know how, what it takes, the structures or the institutions for implementation. Now, you have a little lacuna between the policymakers and those who are implementing this policy.
“You know, the PIA bill was being clamoured by Nigerians, and it was, it went to the House of Representatives, it went to the Senate, everybody was clamouring, and people were even shouting, why Mr President cannot sign the PIA bill, this one? You know the intricacies of the implementation of the PIA bill.
“And it has a lot of things to do. Both the structures of NNPC were unburdened. A lot of things were being dismantled and eradicated.
So, to ensure that the PIA will stand on its own, you understand. Well, I’m not a lawmaker, and I also see that they wanted to deprioritise the oil and gas industry.”
He mentioned that despite having four refineries in Nigeria, none is functioning effectively. He also stated that IPMAN is ready to compete with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL), highlighting the potential solutions that will enhance Nigeria’s petroleum sector and bring relief to fuel scarcity.
“If you look at our refineries, you know, we can have four refineries in this country. None of them is working. Our utilisations have failed. I’m not talking about government.
“You know, I’m not talking about whether the government has failed, no. Our utilisation has failed. Most of these refineries have MDs and people who are running them.
“And I also believe that if you are being given a chance to run some, you know, company, you can be able to see how you can be able to continue to manage it.
“I also remember that even Casino Refinery was shut down by the Federal government. And what was also shut down, they were producing, but they were not producing, they were producing in deficits.
“Whatever they are producing could not be able to pay the salaries of the workers, you understand me. So, the government shut it down.”
Watch the full interview below:
