If by next Monday, adequate measures are not put in place to flood
Nigeria with enough kerosene for the citizens of the country, then
ex-militants would disrupt activities at the National Assembly.
The former militants released this threat on Wednesday in Yenagoa, Bayelsa state under the aegis of the Leadership, Peace and Cultural Development Initiatives (LPCDI) saying they would fight to ensure that the problem is resolved.
They maintained though, that the protest march to the National Assembly would be peaceful and non-violent.
For over a month now, Nigerian consumers of the product have faced serious challenges owing to the scarcity of kerosene with the product now selling for between N140 and N150 per litre.
The ex-militants further lamented the inability of the Pipeline and Product Marketing Company (PPMC) to increase supply of the product. The PPMC and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) had several times allayed fears that the situation would be brought under control. This has not happened.
One other reason the former militants are threatening to protest is their claim that opposition elements in the country had always carried out unwarranted attack on President Goodluck Jonathan and his administration.
The militants urged that an independent panel be set up to investigate this perpetual scarcity of kerosene. They also advocated for the sack of the Managing Director of PPMC, Mr. Haruna Momoh, for failing find urgent solutions to the crisis.
The statement from the group signed by its President-General, Pastor Wilson Reuben; and Secretary-General Ezekiel Akpasibewei, said the group was collaborating with other civil society groups in the country for the protest
"The scarcity of petroleum products, especially kerosene across the country is a national embarrassment. Preliminary investigations by the ex-militant leaders have shown that the scarcity is man-made and a deliberate act of sabotage to the transformation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan in the oil and gas sector.
"The pertinent questions to be answered are: 'where are the huge Kerosene allocations to the Niger-Delta states and the other parts of the country? What happened to the huge importation quota for kerosene? Why is it that only the Northwest region of the country has regular and well circulated kerosene?
"Why are the South-west and South-south regions deprived of the product? Why is it that kerosene, when available, is sold at exorbitant prices instead of the approved official pump price of N50 per litre? Why is it that Kerosene, when available, is only found in private petrol stations?
"Our move to peacefully protest to the National Assembly is to call the attention of the members of the National Assembly, particularly the chairmen and members of the committees on petroleum downstream of both chambers of the National Assembly to investigate the management of the Pipeline and Products Marketing Company (PPMC), led by its Managing Director, Mr. Haruna Momoh, for its glaring failure to effectively address the issue of kerosene scarcity in the country.
"Mr. Haruna Momoh, from available evidence, has shown incompetence and complicity in the scarcity of Kerosene. Mr. Haruna Momoh has also been enmeshed severally in fraudulent allocations of kerosene to incompetent and fictitious marketers. He should be sacked with immediate effect for fraud and incompetence."
The ex-militants said they were troubled by the kerosene scarcity "because of its importance to the welfare of the masses. The masses daily experience untold difficulties and agonising moments in their bids to get kerosene for their daily needs.
"It is, therefore, as a matter of urgency and to save the country from disaster that the former freedom fighters have decided to storm the National Assembly to impress it on its leadership and insist on formal investigation of the man-made scarcity."
He said the disrespect for President Jonathan had become "an issue of mockery that a failed former governor in the South-west state and caretaker party chairman would openly invite the President to join his baby party.
"Have you ever seen or heard of such inglorious invitation to President Obama by the Republicans in spite of some difficulties in policy implementation faced by the Democrats led administration?
"It is a shame that opposition political parties heat up the polity and reduce the status of their country's seat of governance with their unguarded comments.
"We want to use this medium to inform the public that as patriotic, progressive and development-oriented Nigerians, we will no longer take kindly the unwarranted verbal attacks on the person of the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr Goodluck Jonathan."
The former militants released this threat on Wednesday in Yenagoa, Bayelsa state under the aegis of the Leadership, Peace and Cultural Development Initiatives (LPCDI) saying they would fight to ensure that the problem is resolved.
They maintained though, that the protest march to the National Assembly would be peaceful and non-violent.
For over a month now, Nigerian consumers of the product have faced serious challenges owing to the scarcity of kerosene with the product now selling for between N140 and N150 per litre.
The ex-militants further lamented the inability of the Pipeline and Product Marketing Company (PPMC) to increase supply of the product. The PPMC and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) had several times allayed fears that the situation would be brought under control. This has not happened.
One other reason the former militants are threatening to protest is their claim that opposition elements in the country had always carried out unwarranted attack on President Goodluck Jonathan and his administration.
The militants urged that an independent panel be set up to investigate this perpetual scarcity of kerosene. They also advocated for the sack of the Managing Director of PPMC, Mr. Haruna Momoh, for failing find urgent solutions to the crisis.
The statement from the group signed by its President-General, Pastor Wilson Reuben; and Secretary-General Ezekiel Akpasibewei, said the group was collaborating with other civil society groups in the country for the protest
"The scarcity of petroleum products, especially kerosene across the country is a national embarrassment. Preliminary investigations by the ex-militant leaders have shown that the scarcity is man-made and a deliberate act of sabotage to the transformation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan in the oil and gas sector.
"The pertinent questions to be answered are: 'where are the huge Kerosene allocations to the Niger-Delta states and the other parts of the country? What happened to the huge importation quota for kerosene? Why is it that only the Northwest region of the country has regular and well circulated kerosene?
"Why are the South-west and South-south regions deprived of the product? Why is it that kerosene, when available, is sold at exorbitant prices instead of the approved official pump price of N50 per litre? Why is it that Kerosene, when available, is only found in private petrol stations?
"Our move to peacefully protest to the National Assembly is to call the attention of the members of the National Assembly, particularly the chairmen and members of the committees on petroleum downstream of both chambers of the National Assembly to investigate the management of the Pipeline and Products Marketing Company (PPMC), led by its Managing Director, Mr. Haruna Momoh, for its glaring failure to effectively address the issue of kerosene scarcity in the country.
"Mr. Haruna Momoh, from available evidence, has shown incompetence and complicity in the scarcity of Kerosene. Mr. Haruna Momoh has also been enmeshed severally in fraudulent allocations of kerosene to incompetent and fictitious marketers. He should be sacked with immediate effect for fraud and incompetence."
The ex-militants said they were troubled by the kerosene scarcity "because of its importance to the welfare of the masses. The masses daily experience untold difficulties and agonising moments in their bids to get kerosene for their daily needs.
"It is, therefore, as a matter of urgency and to save the country from disaster that the former freedom fighters have decided to storm the National Assembly to impress it on its leadership and insist on formal investigation of the man-made scarcity."
He said the disrespect for President Jonathan had become "an issue of mockery that a failed former governor in the South-west state and caretaker party chairman would openly invite the President to join his baby party.
"Have you ever seen or heard of such inglorious invitation to President Obama by the Republicans in spite of some difficulties in policy implementation faced by the Democrats led administration?
"It is a shame that opposition political parties heat up the polity and reduce the status of their country's seat of governance with their unguarded comments.
"We want to use this medium to inform the public that as patriotic, progressive and development-oriented Nigerians, we will no longer take kindly the unwarranted verbal attacks on the person of the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr Goodluck Jonathan."
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