Fuel Subsidy: Tinubu should have studied petroleum market before deregulation -Asemota

By Angela James

Edo State Chairman of Nigeria Association of Road Transport Owners, NARTO, Comrade Godwin Asemota has said that the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu should have studied the petroleum market before deregulation.

Comrade Asemota made this known while speaking to journalists in his office in Benin on the immediate deregulation of the petroleum sector of the economy.

He harped on the need for the four refineries in Nigeria to be working to increase the availability of the product stressing that the major challenge of marketers is the source of the product.

“The President needed to have studied the petroleum market terrain for like two months before deregulating it. Most of the fuel depots closed down and refused to sell to us. If you’re doing deregulation there are modalities you should follow. The roads are not good. Our major challenge is the source of our product. I paid for 45,000 liters of PMS for some time now it has not been delivered to me. The depot is using delaying tactics to hold back the product so they can hike prices when deregulation is announced. There are modalities for deregulation, you simply cannot fix the price for what you don’t produce”.

He stressed that there is no country known to him that government does not subsidize anything for its citizens.

He averred that issue of insecurity in the country should be given utmost priority by the President adding that cattle are eating up farm produce.

“The issue of insecurity in Nigeria is so worrisome. How can herdsmen bring cattle to my farm to eat and destroy my farm produce and go home free. Security should be assured”.

NARTO is an umbrella organization of all commercial vehicle owners in Nigeria engaged in the haulage of petroleum products, general cargoes, and movement of passengers within the country and the entire West Africa sub-region.