Posted by President Muhammadu Buhari was criticized by the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) on Thursday for agreeing to take into account the Republic of Burundi’s request for premium motor spirit, better known as gasoline.
The national coordinator of HURIWA, Emmanuel Onwubiko, issued a statement in which he criticized the Nigerian president for promising to consider supplying fuel to another African nation when the owners of the valuable natural resources are suffering from a severe lack of gasoline.
When President Evariste Ndayishimiye’s Special Envoy arrived in Buhari’s office on Tuesday with a message, he delivered the assurances.
In response to the Burundian leader’s appeal for aid with energy provision, particularly petrol, Buhari acknowledged the sentiment of suffering from an energy scarcity and pledged that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited would be assigned to investigate the matter.
The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) expressed regret about the high cost of fuel in the southeast and urged the federal government to make petroleum products widely accessible.
In Anambra State, some gas stations are currently selling a litre of fuel for as much as N350, while others are still dispensing at N300. This is a far cry from the product’s official pump price, which is N169 per litre, as set by the federal government.
According to Onwubiko of HURIWA, “For around three months in a row, Nigerians have complained about the lack of fuel supplies. For commuters and the general population who drive cars, the situation has resulted in unthinkable misery as they scramble for fuel on the illegal market.
“However, President Buhari vowed to take Burundi’s request for petroleum into account. What nonsense! a huge joke Also quite insensitive!
“To make matters worse, the President’s administration, who also serves as the minister of petroleum, declared that gasoline subsidies would be eliminated by June 2023, despite the fact that the fictitious sum earmarked for subsidies during the previous eight years cannot be accounted for.
It is regrettable that, despite his campaign promises from 2015 to revive the nation’s refineries, Buhari has failed to do so. The refineries are still inactive, and oil theft, the egregious corruption of the oil cartel, illegal price differentials, and the phony subsidy regime are still allowed to flourish unchecked.
“However, nobody has been detained and charged. What a loss! Nigerians will remember Buhari for these many failures and hardships and won’t make the same mistake in the February 25 presidential election. Nigeria needs a compassionate leader, not a lofty, manifesto-trumpeting figurehead.