The
Federal Government has said it is keenly aware of the difficulties that
Nigerians are currently facing over the lingering fuel scarcity and poor power
supply, and that it is working round the clock to provide the relief for the
citizenry.
''As a
government that was propelled into office by the power of the people, we cannot
but feel the pains of our compatriots, and we deeply empathise with them,'' the
Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said in Abuja on
Wednesday.
''Our
message to our compatriots is that this Administration, under the able
leadership of
President
Muhammadu Buhari, is working round the clock to ease the pains of Nigerians,
and that very soon, the efforts of the government will begin to yield fruits
for the benefit of Nigerians,'' he said during a visit to the corporate
headquarters of Daily Trust newspaper, as part of his tour of media
establishments in the country.
Alhaji
Mohammed said the Government is aware that Nigerians have started questioning
the genuiness of its Change Agenda, adding: ''We understand the skepticism of
Nigerians in questioning whether this indeed is the change they voted for. I
can tell Nigerians that our Change Agenda is real, and that indeed Nigerians
will get the change they voted for.''
On the
fuel situation, the Minister said immediate measures are being taken to end the
scarcity while medium and long term solutions are being worked out to prevent a
recurrence.
''Petroleum
supply and distribution have been ramped up across the country by the NNPC to
ensure product availability in the country, but repeated trips to filling
stations and the backlog are making it impossible to immediate feel the impact
''Monitoring
has also been intensified to ensure full compliance with approved prices.
Violations
of approved prices and hoarding of petroleum products attract severe penalties,
including giving out of petroleum products free to the public, sealing
off of fuel stations found to be hoarding petroleum products, payment of fine
as well as withdrawal of Marketer’s License,'' he said.
Alhaji
Mohammed said that in the medium term, the supply constraints due to foreign
exchange challenges are being resolved through collaboration with the Central
Bank of
Nigeria
on innovative ways of closing the gaps in accessing foreign exchange.
Segun Adeyemi/GEE
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Pix: Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed
