Buhari Should Fix Refineries To End Scarcity – Lawmaker-Elect

A newly elected member of the Niger House of Assembly, Malik Madaki, on Monday urged the incoming Muhammadu Buhari administration to repair the refineries in order to check the perennial scarcity of petroleum products in the country.

Madaki, who was elected to represent Bosso constituency on the platform of the APC, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.

The lawmaker, who expressed concern over the scarcity of petroleum products across the country, said Nigerians were undergoing untold hardship as a result of the development.

He said the opportunity to benefit from the nation’s oil resources would continue to elude majority of Nigerians unless corruption in the sector was addressed.

Madaki alleged that a cartel involved in the oil sector was opposed to the optimum performance of the refineries.

“For allowing that to continue, there is no way we can have stable petrol, gas as well as kerosene supplies and the masses will continue to experience this hardship.

“This cartel has continually discouraged the Federal Government from putting the refineries in order.

“The president-elect must as a matter of national survival tackle this mess by ensuring that the four refineries are made to work at their optimal capacities,” Madaki said.

NAN reports that long queues have become a common sight in many filling stations due to the acute shortage of petrol across the country.

Senate Slashes Subsidies on Petrol & Kerosene

The Senate on Wednesday, slashed the allocation for petrol and kerosene subsidies presented by the Ministry of Finance in the Medium Term Expenditure Framework for 2015 – 2017.

The upper chamber, while approving the MTEF, slashed petrol subsidy from N200 billion to N100 billion. It also reduced the subsidy allocated to kerosene from N91.08 billion to N45.52 billion.

Chairman of the Joint Committee on Finance and National Planning; Economic Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Sen. Ahmed Makarfi, said the reduction was due to the fall in oil prices at the international market. “The joint committee recommends a downward review of subsidy payment for PMS from N200 billion to N100 billion and kerosene from N91.08 billion to N45.52 billion.

“This is as a result of the current low prices in crude oil prices at the international oil market.

“The relevant committees of the National Assembly should through oversight, ensure the full implementation of the proposed kerosene subsidy and the availability and of the product’’, he said.

Makarfi also said the reduction in the subsidy allocations to petrol reflected government’s commitment to transparency and accountability in the entire oil and gas sector. In his remarks, the Senate President, David Mark said there was need for a budget cut across the three arms of government in view of the current economic reality.

Mark said the government must continue with it reform policy in order to promote the growth of the non-oil sector. He expressed delight on the expeditious passage of the MTEF.

Credit: NAN