The Trade Union Congress (TUC) has threatened to withdraw its members if the current fuel scarcity persists across the country.
This is as the Federal Government pleads with Nigerians to exercise patience with it over unforeseen hardship occasioned by scarcity of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS).
Minister of State (Petroleum), Tmipre Sylva who expressed the government’s concern, added that the government is finding lasting solutions to the problem.
TUC position was expressed through the National Treasurer, Mohammad Yunusa, in an interview with newsmen during the just concluded delegate conference of the Senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations and Government-Owned Companies (SSASCGO).
Yunusa called on the Federal Government to identify and punish those that caused the fuel scarcity.
“We will soon direct workers to stop going to work if the challenge of fuel scarcity across the country persists for the next few days.
“The congress also demanded that President Muhammadu Buhari should swing into action by identifying and punishing those who caused the scarcity that has brought untold hardship upon Nigerians.
“The union’s position is very clear. Those who caused this scarcity should be identified and punished very well.
“The position of SSASCGOC … is workers should stop going to work until there is enough fuel to take them to work.
“This is the way to do it. We are waiting for our centre to respond to our position but our position in SSASCGOC is that there is no need to go to work and when there is regular supply, then we will start going to work, “he said.
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NAN reports that Sylva who made the appeal in a statement by his Senior Adviser (Media & Communications), Horatius Egua, remarked;
“In the last weeks, Nigerians have grappled with fuel scarcity not because of the absence of supply of products but due to inspection failure, which allowed adulterated products into the country.
“This is regrettable, and the Federal Government sympathises with the citizenry over the unforeseen hardship, occasioned by the inevitable scarcity.
“Let me once again appeal to Nigerians to be patient with government in finding lasting solutions to the crisis,” Sylva said.
He appreciated the NNPC for showing so much concern to the plight of Nigerians by coming forward with an apology.
“This is unprecedented and showed that we on the government side are not afraid to take responsibility,” he added.
The minister also said the Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority had been out on the streets, fuel stations to ensure that the situation normalise quickly.
According to him, we are beginning to see the fruits of their efforts.
“It is not a time to trade blames as is customary in Nigeria. It is, therefore, not a time to query anyone but a time to come together to salvage the plight of the average Nigerian.
“After the storm settles, there will be time enough to investigate and get to the bottom, so that this does not repeat itself.
“President Muhammadu Buhari’s charge to all parties and agencies concerned is to work together to ensure that normalcy returns quickly.
“The Nigerian people deserve the best and the government is determined to set the country on the right path of petroleum products availability and sustainability,” Sylva said.
This, he said, was demonstrated in the award of the contracts for the rehabilitation of all our refineries and the acquisition of stake in the Dangote Refinery.