The ongoing fuel crisis appears to be a case of the grass suffering while two elephants fight.

The bone of contention seems to be that while the Nigerian Government wants to carry out minor reforms in the supply chain, and is assuring the public that the scarcity would end soon, the organised marketers appear focused on protecting the interests of its members.

Biztellers reports that about 8,000 operating licences of IPMAN’s members are threatened by a new policy of the National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd).

Recall that the NNPC Ltd had placed a deadline of April 15, 2024, for marketers to renew their operating licences or risk being denied access to their customer express portals for the purchase of petroleum products from the NNPC Retail Limited.

However, the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) had claimed that the registration processes and requirements were cumbersome, for which some of its members could not meet the deadline.

Consequently, the IPMAN requested an extension till July, so that its members could reconcile their licenses and address the lingering scarcity, which has compounded the economic woes confronting the ordinary Nigerian.

The IPMAN has also appealed to the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Regulatory Authority (NMDRA) to release 9,000 already processed licences to its members.

The National Public Relations Officer, IPMAN, Chinedu Ukadike, gave an update on the Association’s position in a statement on Thursday in Abuja.

The statement read, “The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria are abreast with current developments in the downstream sector of our petroleum industry and wish to state that the latest information reaching us from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority states that they have already processed more than 9,000 out of the 15,000 licenses they are expected to process for our members within this period.

“Marketers are fast-tracking the processing of their licenses to avoid the impending closure of their customer express portals for purchase of petroleum products from NNPC Retail Limited.

“We, therefore, use this opportunity to appeal to the management of the NMDPRA and NNPC Retail Limited to respectively release the processed licenses and extend the deadline for delisting of marketers from their express portals.

“If our request is granted, it will ease the tension of panic buying by members of the public in order not to aggravate the present scarcity of petroleum products.”

In an earlier statement, the IPMAN had blamed the ongoing scarcity which had seen pump prices of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) skyrocket to between N750/litre to N1,200/litre across Nigeria on turnaround maintenance of oversea suppliers of the product.

On its part, the NNPC Ltd had blamed logistics on the scarcity, which it claimed to have addressed.

The state oil company had also tried to address the situation by assuring of sufficient stock and increased product supplies, yet, the IPMAN members appear to be sticking to their gun, in protection of members’ interests, by controlling sales to the public.

Recall that the Chairman, IPMAN Depot Chairmen Forum, Yahaya Alhassan, had on Tuesday threatened to shut down the 30,000 stations operated by IPMAN members across the country if the Federal Government failed to pay the N200bn that was being owed marketers.

The IPMAN’s position was contained in a communique issued in Abuja by over the non-payment of marketers’ bridging claims.

According to the IPMAN, the NMDPRA had refused to clear the debt, which had continued to accrue since September 2022.

It might just be that the two elephants are keeping the bone of contention close their chests and feeding members of the public with tales by the moonlight.

In the interim, the economic hardship continues to bite harder, with common Nigerians at the receiving end.

In a tragic turn of events, it has been reported that a group of terrorists attacked Kakangi and Unguwan Matinja communities in the Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State, resulting in the deaths of eight vigilante members and two others.

Additionally, the village heads of Kakangi and Kisaya villages were abducted during the assault.

The attack, confirmed by resident Idris Khalid, occurred early on Thursday when armed individuals invaded the villages.

Among the victims in Kakangi were eight vigilante members, including Bala Kamba, Abdurrahman Musa (Ubale), Kabiru Dan Dugui, Hambali Abu, Aliyu Abu, Nura Jika (Maleka), Mubarak Musa (Dan Wamba), and Ikra Hantsi.

Khalid further disclosed that the two individuals who lost their lives in the Ungwan Matinja community, located under Gayam Ward, were identified as Christopher Abubakar and Isah Gambo.

He explained that the vigilantes came under attack while tracking the kidnapped victims, who had been abducted while en route to a burial ceremony between Kakangi and Sabon Layi.

The resident said “The vigilantes engaged the terrorists, killing scores of them but could not rescue the two traditional rulers and others.

“Normally, anytime there is a kidnap incident, the vigilantes always trail the terrorists to rescue the victims.

“It’s unfortunate that in the process, eight gallant officers of the vigilantes who have been sacrificing in ensuring the safety of our people were lost.”

The Public Relations Officer of the State Police Command, ASP Mansir Hassan, stated that they are actively investigating the matter to ascertain the truth, noting that the area where the incident occurred experienced network issues.

Vice President Kashim Shettima has called on Nigerians to exercise patience with President Bola Tinubu’s administration as it tackles the economic difficulties inherited upon assuming office.

He expressed confidence that the nation’s economy will witness substantial progress in the near future, leading to improvements in key areas such as inflation, income levels, GDP, poverty alleviation, and food security.

The appeal was made during the 2nd Chronicle Roundtable organized by 21st Century Media Services in Abuja on Thursday.

He said “Soon, Nigeria’s economy will experience significant growth once we’ve overcome these sacrifices. Positive changes will soon be evident across all economic indicators – inflation, per capita income, GDP numbers, poverty reduction, food security, and all aspects close to the hearts of our people.”

As the Guest Speaker at the roundtable, Vice President Kashim Shettima, through his spokesman Stanley Nwocha, elaborated on significant policy initiatives undertaken by the Tinubu administration.

These include the removal of petroleum subsidy, which he highlighted as a major issue prior to Tinubu’s leadership.

He emphasized the need for patience and time to tackle the substantial challenges, particularly the nation’s struggling economy, which was in a precarious state upon assumption of office.

Shettima said “We look forward to the positive impact on the economy that will be brought by some of our new initiatives in the oil and gas sector, creative arts sector, the newly rejigged steel and solid minerals sectors, our housing sector, the blue economy, and the digital sectors, to mention but a few.

“There is no doubt that there’s a time to plant and a time to reap. In between those times, we appeal for patience and seek collective sacrifice from all, especially from us. We wish there were a way to treat this ailment without surgery.”

In his address titled “Because These Shortcuts Are Not The Right Ways,” Vice President Kashim Shettima acknowledged the challenging nature of the decision to remove fuel subsidy, given its adverse effects on citizens’ lives.

However, he emphasized that it became a necessary choice when it was revealed that the previous administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari had not allocated funds for it in the 2023 budget.

He explained: “His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, chose the option that would save the life of the nation, instead of one that would merely prolong its imminent and predicted economic death. Before we took charge, the biggest elephant in the room was the question of fuel subsidy removal.

“We understood why our predecessor made the decision to remove it and refused to budget for it in their final fiscal year. The year before we took office, Nigeria’s debt service-to-revenue ratio had grown to 111.8%.

“The anticipated debt crisis may sound like fancy economic jargon to the man on the street, but you and I are in a better position to understand how such miscalculations have played out in other countries. It’s an economic death sentence.

“In plain terms, our debt servicing was such that if you earned, say, N100,000, the entirety of the money wasn’t only paid to your debtor; you were forced to borrow an additional N11,800 to pay the debtor. How do you intend to survive this, and how many more loans before you become a pariah?.”

“We are not even discussing the nation’s budget deficits, diversions of resources from critical sectors of the economy, and corruption masterminded in the subsidy regime.”

Recognizing the principle of government continuity, Vice President Kashim Shettima stated that any successor to the previous government would have faced the same choice: to navigate through the challenges or abandon ship, risking national collapse.

He noted that other presidential contenders did not find it ethically acceptable to criticize the removal of fuel subsidy, as it was among the solutions they had also proposed to the Nigerian people.