I've been to a number of fuel stations in two Akwa Ibom cities today and they all sell fuel at N200 and above. One of them sold at N220 yesterday. I called Lagos today to confirm how much it sells there and realize it's at most N150.
In Port Harcourt, where people pride themselves to be Nigeria's human rights capital next only to Lagos; petrol sells for N200+, just like in Akwa Ibom. That's what I was told today.
But the federal government claim they've imported enough to crash the prices back to N86; what's going in these states then? What right has anybody to pass the citizenry through untold hardships simply because they possess the license to sell an essential commodity? How can petrol dealers be this free to practice fraud in as public a place as the fuel station; and in a country that's loudly advertising her anti corruption fight?
Well, I've found an explanation, at least in Akwa Ibom. There is a DPR - Department of Petroleum Resources, charged with the responsibility to penalize the tendencies of fuel sellers to artificially hike the prices. And the officials benefit from the price hike. This is what a sales officer in one of the fuel stations told me today. He said it laughing me to scorn, as I queried why he would sell fuel at N220 yesterday and N200 today, when no new supply has been received. I mean, I felt it was 'true' that they'd have to sell out old supplies at old price and new supplies at new price.
While the DPR headship would tell you they don't have enough vehicles to take them round the cities to simultaneously monitor the sales of petrol, their officials in Akwa Ibom are taking their 'cut' from the excess. See? There's not enough vehicles to go round ensuring a consistent price regime, but there's enough to take them round to collect their share from the hike of fraud. Good job.
The DPR being a federal agency, I believe our corruption crusader federal government are fully aware of the activities of their officers. I don't know if it's like that in other states, but I note that the Akwa Ibom DPR hardly seal off any fuel stations, whereas offenders abound.
If the Fed govt won't take action, well it isn't late for everyone of us citizens to speak up and out against their tendency to look away from some sectors, talk little of an essential sector like the petrol retail sector. They can't probe some and spare some.
Now, since writing to govt institutions doesn't guarantee the desired response - like writing to the CCB for a release of the president's asset declaration was not honoured - there is nearer media and it is in our hands as mobile social media.
Repost this, carry out your own findings, fear no threats, post your discovery, get your sources right, confirm from here and there, keep no hiding place for fraudulent public servants.
DPR, investigate your officials; probe yourself, and for goodness sake, start doing your job. Or maybe just ignore us and let things cruise on as usual.
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