Don’t single me out for probe, Jonathan tells Buhari

President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday advised the President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, not to single out his administration in any probe he may want to carry out after his inauguration on Friday.

He said all those advising Buhari to probe his administration must also advise him to extend his probe beyond his regime or else, the probe will be seen as a witch-hunt.

Jonathan made his position known at the valedictory session of the Federal Executive Council which he presided over at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

 

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He also said those calling for his administration’s probe should add that the probe should be extended to the way oil wells and fields were allocated in the past.

A former Minister of Defence, Gen. Theophilus Danjuma, had over the weekend joined the growing number of persons calling on Buhari to probe the Jonathan administration.

Jonathan said, “Some people are even calling for the probe of this government. I agree that in Nigeria, there are a number of things that we will probe; very many things.

“Even debts owed by states and this nation from 1960 up to this time. They are saying it is Jonathan’s administration that is owing all the debts.

“I believe that anybody calling for probe must ensure that these probes are extended beyond the Jonathan administration, otherwise to me, it will be a witch-hunt. If you are very sincere, then it is not just the Jonathan’s administration that should be probed.

“A number of things have gone wrong and we have done our best to fix them. The Attorney General is aware of the massive judgement debts, if we aggregate all of them, it is about $1bn. How did we come to this kind of huge judgement debts? These issues should be probed.

“How do you allocate our oil wells, oil fields, marginal wells and others? Do we follow our laws? All these should be probed. I believe all these and many more areas should be looked at.”

Jonathan said regardless of what critics might say about his administration, he and his team had done well under a difficult situation.

He advised those who criticise him to endeavour to compare his administration’s performance with those of the administrations before him on a sector-by-sector basis.

The President listed some of the daunting challenges faced by his administration to include the prolonged industrial action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, terror attacks and the ongoing fuel scarcity.

Jonathan described the ongoing fuel scarcity as an act of sabotage.

The president claimed that those who felt they must bring his government to its knees were the ones behind the scarcity.

He wondered why marketers would choose to go on strike a few days to the end of his administration.

“Even this last fuel scarcity, to me one can clearly say it was an act of sabotage. This government has few days to go, that is definitely not the time you expect massive strikes, using marketers and unions. Unions asking for increase in salaries at a time oil prices have dropped and volumes have dropped,” he said.

The President made it clear that he had not dissolved his cabinet as all ministers were expected to attend the inauguration dinner on Thursday in their official capacity.

Earlier, the Vice-President, Namadi Sambo, had thanked Jonathan for finding him worthy to be his running mate in 2011 and 2015. He said he did not at any time lobby the President for the position.

He promised to remain a member of the Jonathan family and his ambassador anywhere he found himself.

The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Mohammed Adoke (SAN), said the administration had impacted on the lives of millions of Nigerians.

I was a motor park tout —Benue gov-elect

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The Benue State incoming Governor, Chief Samuel Ortom, has described his experience as a motor park tout and his election as governor as a divine arrangement and the handiwork of God, PUNCH reported.

He said, “My journey from being a motor park tout to an elected governor is purely a divine arrangement. I cast my mind back to when I dropped out of school in Form 2 but I remained hardworking and I did not engage in crime to survive.

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“One thing I know is that hard work pays and you must keep faith with God; power belongs to God and He alone gives it to whoever He will.”

The former Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment said he had dropped out of school in Form 2 due to lack of funds but this did not force him to engage in criminal activities to survive.

Ortom, however, noted that the selection process of the PDP delegates in the last party’s primary in the state was manipulated by the party leadership intentionally to thwart his ambition of becoming the next governor.

He said the party also frustrated the support of the Benue populace who supported him.

He said, “The process of selection of delegates in the last PDP governorship election was manipulated by the leadership of the party to thwart my ambition and frustrate the people who all supported me. But God vindicated me and blessed me, and now I am an elected governor.”

Petrol sells for N110 at depots

Tankers loading petrol from depots in Apapa, Lagos are currently paying between N90 and N110 per litre instead of the N82 before the advent of the current scarcity of the product in the market.

This, according to market sources, is the reason behind the high prices for which the product is selling at filling stations across the country.

Since the National Association of Road Transport Owners and the Petroleum Tanker Drivers’ arm of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers called off their strike, which was called to protest the debts owed their members by the petroleum product marketers, nearly all the filling stations have refused to sell petrol at the official pump price of N87 per litre.

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 The product is currently being sold for between N150 and N200 per litre.

The Chairman, NUPENG, Lagos Zone, Alhaji Tokunbo Korodo, confirmed to our correspondent in a telephone interview that loading of products from the depots had been intensive since the strike was called off.

This, however, has not led to the normalisation of the price at the depots.

Korodo described the flow of product at the depots as seamless, saying, “For us now, loading is done 24 hours of the day. We are also doing overnight loading to ensure more products get to Nigerians.”

A marketer, who belongs to the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association, who spoke to our correspondent on condition of anonymity, however, said the supply of petrol “is not much currently.”

According to him, tankers are being attended to on a first-come-first-serve basis owing to the excess demand situation, which currently characterises downstream operations.

Commenting on the high prices for which the product is being sold at the depots, the source said, “It will be difficult to regulate the market now because we have an abnormal situation. Fixing the N82 per litre price for petrol at the depots is not feasible now. It will take some time before it will be business as usual.”

Marketers of petroleum products said on Tuesday that the current petrol supply challenge would continue throughout the week.

They also confirmed that loading of petrol had resumed across board with members of the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria and DAPPMA driving the exercise.

But they told our correspondent that because of the May 29 public holiday, the supply hitch was likely to prevail till next week because there would not be product loading on Friday and Saturday.

It was also gathered that Folawiyo, Capital Oil and Nipco were championing overnight loading of petrol at the Apapa depots.

Meanwhile, the leadership tussle rocking the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria has aggravated the scarcity of refined petroleum products across the country, the National President of the body, Mr. Obasi Lawson, has said.

According to him, the association controls over 60 per cent of the retail outlets for refined petroleum products in the country, adding that the crisis had prevented most members of the group from having access to the products.

For about two weeks now, the country has witnessed severe scarcity of petroleum products, a development that has paralysed economic activities across the nation.

Lawson said during a meeting of stakeholders in Abuja on Wednesday that products meant for IPMAN members’ filling stations were diverted to the outlets of the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria and the Depot and Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria as a result of the lingering leadership crisis.(PUNCH)

He said, “IPMAN is a major player in the downstream subsector of the oil and gas industry. We control over 60 per cent of the retail outlets across the country and we have over 10,000 members with over 30,000 petrol stations. What the masses suffered because of fuel scarcity was largely caused by the crisis in IPMAN.

“Before the crisis started in IPMAN, you will agree that there was no problem of fuel scarcity for about three years into the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan.

“But the suffering started as a result of this crisis and this is because we control 60 per cent of the retail outlets. As a result of the crisis, we are not getting products as and when due; the products that were supposed to come to us were diverted to MOMAN and DAPMAN. And as of that time, most of our petrol stations were not selling.

“It is not that we are not getting the products, but we get them at exorbitant prices and we have to transport them ourselves. It wasn’t the fault of the Pipelines and Products Marketing Company, but it was because we were not united. They prefer giving products to MOMAN and DAPMAN that are united.”

Lawson, however, stated that the crisis had been resolved as a result due to the intervention of the Federal Government.

Fuel Scarcity: Oil workers suspend strike ….....as oil marketers begins fuel lifting immediately

By Oluwagbenga Bankole

The Petroleum and National Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) on Monday resolved to end their five days old strike and immediate commence distribution of fuel across the country after a public hearing organised by the Joint Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources(Upstream and Downstream).

Chairman Senate committee on downstream, Senator Magnus Abe who read a communiqué signed by the stakeholders after the session also disclosed that Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN) had agreed to begin lifting of petroleum products nationwide within the next six hours and to also pay the National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) the transport cost that would be determined by them.

Senator Abe who explained that the Finance Minister/Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, and other stakeholders, who attended the meeting, unanimously agreed to the peace deal, in the interest of the nation, noted that Depot Managers had agreed to open all their depots nationwide so that lifting would commence and had agreed with the DPR to withdraw the operational licence of any depot which was not opened for fuel lifting.

Abe said the NNPC had directed all relevant staff, working in the various depots across the country, to work 24 hours, including Saturday and Sunday, for the next two weeks until normalcy returns to the sector.

He said, “We have agreed on the following:  first is that the Minister of Finance will give an undertaking to the Major Marketers and Depot Managers that the work of the committee being headed by CBN and PPPR, on the outstanding claims, would be concluded and be reflected in the hand over notes to the incoming administration.”

Telecom operators to shut network over fuel crisis

Mobile phone operators in Nigeria, yesterday, warned that their networks face shutdown due to fuel shortages that have crippled the nation for the past few weeks.

The warning from MTN and Airtel is a sign that businesses across the nation are now being hard hit.

In its reaction, Airtel said  yesterday that the situation was impacting negatively on its commitments to delivering quality services and seamless telephony experience to Nigerians.

Airtel said in a statement: “We are currently doing everything within our means, as well as going the extra mile, to ensure that all our base stations and switches are up and running.

“It is sad to note that it is becoming increasingly difficult to replenish current stock of diesel due to the lingering scarcity of the products.

“We are also concerned that, if the situation persists, it may have adverse effects on our network, impacting both voice and data services.

“Airtel, therefore, wishes to assure all customers that we will continue working with all our partners and stakeholders to mitigate any negative impact, as we remain committed to our promise of providing exceptional services just as we seek the cooperation and understanding of all while apologising for any inconvenience at this time.”

Similarly, MTN has warned that its network faces shutdown due to fuel shortages that have crippled the nation.

The company, the biggest subsidiary of South Africa-based MTN Group, said it needed a “significant quantity of diesel in the very near future to prevent a shut-down of services across Nigeria.

“If diesel supplies are not received within the next 24 hours, the network will be seriously degraded and customers will feel the impact,” it added on its Twitter account, @MTNNG, weekend.

“Diesel generators power most of MTN’s base stations and switches across the country, but fuel supplies are running low,” MTN Corporate Services Executive, Akinwale Goodluck, said.

Fuel scarcity: Capital Oil breaks ranks, to release 70m litres

Capital Oil and Gas Industries Limited said it was releasing, last night, about 13 million litres, approximately 400 trucks, of petroleum products including premium motor spirit, popularly called petrol, to ease the scourge of the endemic fuel scarcity that Nigeria had been plunged into.

The company will release a total of 70 million litres in the coming days.

The move has, therefore, broken the ranks of oil marketers and depot operators, who have refused to import any more products until their outstanding subsidy claims of over N200 billion is paid by the Federal Government.

The marketers have now become jittery over the development because they are now being exposed as saboteurs, seeing they have enough fuel stock in their depots but have refused to dispense them, even as they are losing billions of Naira daily.

Long queue of jerry cans at a petrol station as fuel scarcity bites harder, yesterday. Photo: Joe Akintola, Photo Editor.

Long queue of jerry cans at a petrol station as fuel scarcity bites harder, yesterday. Photo: Joe Akintola, Photo Editor.

Sequel to the general elections, the country had been experiencing sporadic fuel shortages, until it snowballed into a complete shutdown in the recent weeks, thereby paralysing almost all social and economic activities in the country.

Speaking, yesterday, about the sudden release of the product at the Capital Oil Depot in Apapa, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Ifeanyi Ubah, told journalists that the move was meant to reduce the pain Nigerians are experiencing on account of the scarcity.

It’s sabotage

Ubah described the current crisis as sabotage, saying: “We are constrained at this point and have decided that two wrongs cannot make a right. We will not be part of this sabotage against our fatherland. Therefore, from this minute, we shall take the risk of opening our facilities and commence swift loading and distribution of products nationwide.”

He also gave the assurance that once the current stock is exhausted, there are vessels laden with petroleum products at the jetty waiting to berth.

He said: “Our facility has the capacity to load over 13 million litres before dawn. This comes to approximately 400 trucks of petroleum products.”

Urges other marketers to follow suit

Expressing the hope that normalcy will soon return with the resumption of socio-economic activities, Ubah also called “on other petroleum marketers to follow suit and save our nation from this impending economic and social crisis.”

He added that the current situation called for patriotism and service, which is why the Capital Oil truck park, port and depot reception facilities have been opened and have commenced loading of products and ordered to move overnight to every state of the federation.

He recalled that operators were informed of the shutdown of loading activities from the depots via a text message on Saturday May 16, which became effective on Monday, May 18

He noted that since then Nigerians have suffered immense hardship, with petrol now selling at an all-time high of between N500 and N1000 per litre depending on location and outlet.

Marketers and black market operators have been at their best in sharp practices, while the industry regulator, the Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR, is overwhelmed by it all and helpless to sanction any one for infractions.”

Against this backdrop, the Capital Oil boss argued that the way out of the current predicament is the total deregulation of the downstream petroleum sector.

Jonathan mismanaged Nigeria –Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo fired a fresh salvo the way of President Goodluck Jonathan, on Sunday, when he looked back at the last eight years and returned with a verdict: The country had been poorly managed under Jonathan.

Obasanjo said this when the Iyalode of Yoruba land, Chief Alaba Lawson, led a delegation of South-West women leaders on a visit to his Hilltop residence in Abeokuta.

The 78-year-old leader said owing to the mismanagement of the country in the last eight years, the incoming administration of the President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, should be prepared to face the daunting challenges that lay ahead.

He said, “The country had been poorly managed in the last eight years and it would take some time for Buhari’s government to correct the anomalies. But I want to tell him not to be frightened.”

Calling on Nigerians to exercise patience with the incoming administration, Obasanjo said the damage that had been done to the country in the last eight years could not be corrected overnight.

“What I would say is that we should all put our minds at rest. He (Buhari) is someone that will perform but we must exercise patience because what has been destroyed for eight years cannot be undone overnight.

“But like the Chinese proverb which says the journey of a thousand miles starts with a step, it is not only the first step (that matters) but the first step in the right direction because if you take a wrong step, you’re not likely to get to the destination,” he said.

The Owu-born leader recalled that when he assumed power as civilian president in 1999, the country was in the same situation it is today – battling fuel crisis and lack of power supply.

“When I came in 1999, there was no fuel and power. The situation was like this and I thought we have put that one behind us,” he stressed, even as he expressed confidence in the ability of Buhari to surmount the hurdle.

“The man that is coming on board has a lot of experience in terms of governance. He is not a novice in governance having ruled the country as a military Head of State from 1983 to 1985.

“Nigerians need to exercise patience because what has been destroyed in eight years cannot be rebuilt in a day,” Obasanjo maintained.

Recalling his years as military Head of State between 1976 and 1979, Obasanjo said he worked closely with Buhari and that their association produced results.

Urging Nigerians to pray for Buhari, Obasanjo said the president-elect needs the cooperation of Nigerians in order to put the country on the right footing.

“Let’s give him time. Let’s pray for him and let’s cooperate with him. We are all concerned about the present situation of Nigeria. The expectation is very high but at the same time, there is a lot of goodwill internally and externally for the incoming government.

“Once the incoming administration realises this and takes every step, particularly in the first three months when people will be watching and counting, I think for me, we will get there,” the former Peoples Democratic Party leader said.

The former Chairman, PDP Board of Trustees, however, warned Buhari not to take Nigerians for granted as he called on him to always be honest in his dealing with Nigerians.

Obasanjo added that with Buhari at the helm of affairs, Nigeria would have a new opportunity.

He said, “God has provided a new opportunity for Nigeria and Nigerians and I believe God does not make mistakes. There are two things I believe the incoming President appreciates; one is that he knows that the expectations of Nigerians are high and two, that he should not be frightened by the situation on the ground.”

Also, Obasanjo urged the incoming administration against squandering its goodwill at home and abroad.

Decrying the agony inflicted upon Nigerians by the scarcity of fuel across the country, Lawson advised Obasanjo to continue to support the Buhari government in advisory capacity.

She said, “We are aware that you also took over the reins of power of this country at a critical time and with the help of the Almighty God, you were able to bring us back from the brink. The same goes for now.

“We, therefore, appeal to you not to leave this incoming government. Though we are confident of the time-proven abilities of our incoming President, Muhammadu Buhari, we also believe that two heads are better than one and where there is a gathering of wise ones, wisdom will issue forth from there.”