As petrol scarcity lingers on with no end in sight, the nation’s employer under the aegis of Nigerians Employers Consultative Association (NECA) has expressed grave concern over the persistent petrol queues at filling stations nationwide.
The Association decries the negative impact of the situation on the country’s economic activities, noting a steady decline in productivity and an uphill battle for businesses.
The Director-General, of NECA, Mr Adewale-Smatt Oyerinde, while speaking in Lagos on Sunday noted that the issue of fuel scarcity has remained a puzzle to be unraveled despite the removal of fuel subsidy.
In his words: “Like a sore that has refused to heal, the recurrent issue of fuel scarcity has reared up its ugly head again, notwithstanding the removal of fuel subsidy.
“The fuel subsidy removal among other things was supposed to liberalize the market and ensure free flow of the product. The ongoing scarcity, with attendant loss of productive man hours as a result of endless hours spent at filling stations defies logic.
“The ongoing disruption of businesses across diverse sectors, escalating transportation and logistical bottlenecks has progressively led to increased operational costs.
“Notwithstanding the recent assessments by the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, and petroleum stakeholders, which identified panic buying and unethical practices as primary contributors to the ongoing fuel crisis, there is the urgent need for coordinated action, proposing strategic interventions to address the fuel scarcity and fortify organizational resilience.
“We call for heightened collaboration among the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited, NNPCL, Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, NMDPRA, petroleum marketers, and other stakeholders to optimize fuel distribution and mitigate supply chain disruptions.”
The Nigerian Labour Congress represented by its Information Unit Head, Benson Upah, echoed the sentiment expressed by NECA, He voiced dismay at the dire economic implications of the crisis and emphasized the urgent need for intervention.
NLC states: “We are shocked by the continued fuel shortage across the country. The federal government or the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited, NNPC Ltd, is yet to offer any satisfactory explanation for what is happening.
”It is not good enough. What has been going on is from panic buying of petrol by Nigerians to panic storage of the product and from panic storage of petrol to its inherent consequences.
“Much more worrying is its effect on productivity and production. As NECA has pointed out, the long man-hour spent on queues, production disruption with the long time effects are of serious concern to us. We call on the government through the NNPC Ltd to ensure immediate normalcy.”
Also reacting, the President of the Association of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions, ASSBIFI, Olusoji Oluwole, said: “Mr. Oyerinde’s statement is a proactive one that may become a reality in the very near future.
“This is very possible, especially in the SME sector that is dependent on alternative source of power due to unavailable power from the grid.
“Fuel scarcity will lead to a shutdown for them and disengagement of workers who are paid daily or weekly. Eventually it will come to larger organizations. Also, productivity and efficiency will be negatively impacted, with a ripple effect on the already battered economy.”
