Punch: The lingering fuel scarcity has undoubtedly caused untold hardship in the past few weeks for most Nigerians who rely on the commodity to meet their daily needs.
This, many people are complaining, was not what they expected when they voted for President Muhammadu Buhari in April 2015 to steer the affairs of the country.
They are particularly perturbed that despite that the number one citizen of the country doubles as the Minister of Petroleum Resources, having served in that capacity before, the country is still experiencing protracted fuel shortage.
During his electioneering, the main highlight of President Buhari’s “change” mantra was to ease the suffering of the citizens by providing them with infrastructures and making decisions that would make life comfortable for every Nigerian.
But with three well-pronounced fuel scarcity crises being witnessed within just three months (December, 2015, February and March, 2016) of the first 10 months of President Buhari’s administration, some Nigerians said they had yet to grasp the reasons for passing through this phase again.
The first major fuel scarcity that was experienced during President Buhari’s administration was in December, 2015, which saw Nigerians spending nights at filling stations even during the festive period.
The Minster of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, had blamed the fuel scarcity and queues at filling stations on former President Goodluck Jonathan. He said, “Nigerians are paying for Jonathan’s sins,“ adding, “What I will be telling Nigerians is that what we met on ground is such that we are paying for the sins of the last administration. I am being very serious.”
His comments, however, drew a wide range of criticisms from the public.
“So, let me get this right. The fuel scarcity we are facing today is the fault of an administration that we voted out nine months ago?” Ben Murray-Bruce, a senator from Bayelsa State, had asked.
After that period was over, Nigerians didn’t know they would have to battle another one in February, which also lingered on for some weeks.
In March, just a month later, Nigerians are yet witnessing another round of fuel scarcity.
A Lagos resident and bank employee, Olabode Odukoya, described the situation as “a seasonal movie” to Saturday PUNCH in an interview.
He has for the past three weeks parked his car at his home in Ikorodu and taken to public transportation to go to work on Victoria Island.
Odukoya said, “This is not what we bargained with President Buhari. This is not one of our expectations from him. I remember clearly that during the previous administration of former President Jonathan, if there was a crisis like this, the All Progressives Congress would have attacked and criticised him. They would say he was this and that. But here we are…”
Odukoya added, “I only struggle to buy fuel now to run my generator because there is also no light. Everywhere is dark. If I can’t put fuel in my generator, I will feel bored at home. That’s why I struggle to buy. I now take commercial bus to work.
“This is not expected from Buhari. Everything we were told by the APC-led government was that our suffering would ease, and I was among those who believed in the party. But see what we’re passing through for the third time now — in December last year, February and also March this year. It seems like a seasonal movie to me. When this is over, we don’t even know whether there is other phase around the corner.”
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