Esele said the DSS must have been privy to a vital piece of information within the fuel supply value chain to have issued the ultimatum.
By Jeffrey Agbo
A former President of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Peter Esele, has called on the Department of State Services (DSS) to reveal to Nigerians what it knows about the fuel scarcity in Nigeria.
Last Thursday, the DSS issued a 48-hour ultimatum to oil marketers and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited for them to resolve the fuel crisis. The secret police said failure to comply will make it activate its operations across the country.
DSS Spokesman, Peter Afunanya, said the challenge of fuel scarcity has assumed a dimension that is detrimental to the security of the country.
Esele, who was a guest on Channels TV’s Sunrise Daily programme on Monday, said the DSS must have been privy to a vital piece of information within the supply value chain to have issued the ultimatum.
“For DSS to come out and issue an ultimatum, the DSS must be privy to some information…Everyone must focus on the DSS to come out with its results within 48 hours or else, DSS may also be a player in the game.
READ ALSO: NNPC blames road repairs for latest fuel scarcity in Lagos, Abuja
“DSS must tell Nigerians its findings within 48 hours and whoever is behind this should be prosecuted because there are enough products in this country for everybody to get petrol,” he said.
The Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) also said the DSS cannot stop fuel scarcity in the country by making threats.
PETROAN Chairman, System 2E, Eastern Zone, Sunny Nkpe, who was also a guest on the programme, said that until the secret police go after the cartel operating among private depot owners hoarding the essential commodity, fuel scarcity and long queues will persist.
“Let me make it categorically clear here: there is no amount of threat by DSS that is going to change anything. If it must change, they must start from the source; they should go to the private depot operators to find out where for now we are getting products from.
“Until the cartel or cabal in that area is handled or taken care of, we can never get any reduction or fairness in the distribution of the product,” Nkpe said.
He also said there has not been a drop of petrol allocation to the Port Harcourt depot in the last six months.
