NNPC, Baru, Kachikwu Deceiving Nigerians. - Falana

Human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) has said the GMD of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Maikanti Baru, and the minister of state for petroleum, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, deceived Nigerians by saying there was enough fuel to supply consumers.

Falana, in a statement on Monday, said despite the assurances the scarcity of the product has persisted.

The statement reads in part: “In view of the shortage of petrol throughout the country it is indubitably clear that Messrs Kachukwu and Baru deliberately set out to deceive the Nigerian people when they gave the misleading impression that there was enough fuel to cater for all consumers,” Falana said.

“On December 7, 2017, the federal executive council (FEC) was reported to have ordered the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the ministry of petroleum resources to address the fuel scarcity in some parts of the country at the material time.

“The decision was conveyed to Nigerians by the minister of information and culture, Lai Mohammed at the end of the FEC meeting which held in Abuja on that day.

“The minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachukwu who could not attend the meeting was said to have given FEC assurance that there was no cause for alarm. According to Mr. Mohammed, Kachikwu had told the FEC that there was enough fuel in the country to last till January 2018. And that there was no intention by the federal government to increase the pump price of fuel.

“Nigerians were also informed that the group managing director of NNPC, Maikanti Baru, had cut short his trip to London as queues returned to the country’s filling stations.

“Before leaving for London, Baru had said, ‘For the umpteenth time, I wish to call on all Nigerians to stop panic buying. We have said times without number that NNPC has sufficient products to cater for the needs of all consumers’.

“Baru was further reported to have directed that more truckloads of petroleum products be dispatched to various parts of the country to cushion the effects of excessive demand caused by panic buying.”