Mele Kyari, Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, (NNPC) has assured Nigerians that the queues building up in filling stations will be diminished from today.
Kyari, who gave the assurance on Tuesday while briefing State House correspondents after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari further said that engagements are ongoing between stakeholders to proffer a reasonable exit subsidy policy that would be beneficial to all Nigerians.
The implication of extension of the subsidy removal by the federal government would mean continued payment of the monthly N120billion naira subsidy and subsequently a total of N720billion for the next six months.
However, Nigerians have always complained of the way the subsidy issues have been shrouded in secrecy, devoid of the much needed transparency.
More worrisome, according to some analysts is the fact that the subsidized fuel is still being sold above government’s announced prices, particularly outside Lagos and Abuja and most importantly at borders towns where smuggling takes place, thereby defeating its purpose of helping the poor masses, being government’s reason for the continued payment of the subsidy.
However, the NNPC boss disclosed that fuel queues across the country are certain to abate following an intervention by the corporation to resolve the industrial action by petroleum tanker drivers against their employers over issues of the compensation package.
According to him, the intervention by the NNPC has resulted in an amicable settlement between the concerned parties.
Consequently, the industrial action has been called off for a period of one week to allow a proper resolution to the issues.
He again reiterated that normal loading operations in all depots have commenced and trucks dispatched across the country.
