Joseph Bakare/Yemisi Izuora.
The Federal Government has inaugurated a committee to deal with incessant petrol scarcity in the country.
The Minister of State, Petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, made this known to newsmen after a closed door meeting involving government officials, labour leaders and stakeholders in the oil sector.
The meeting, which was presided over by the Chief of Staff to the President, Alhaji Abba Kyari, was held at the old Banquet hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Kachikwu, who is to head the committee, said members of the committee include the Group Managing Director of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, Maikanti Baru, and representatives of agencies under the Ministry of Petroleum.
According to him, membership of the committee also includes the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, labour unions, Depot and Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria and NOMAN.
He said: “We set up a committee, which I will head.
“Members include the GMD, most of the parastatals in the ministry, DAPMAN, IPMAN, NOMAN, Labour unions.
“We are to meet in my office tomorrow (January 3) and dig deeper into this thing and find a long term solution.”
Kachikwu noted that petrol scarcity was a major concern and Nigerians should not be made to suffer, assuring that the committee would come out with lasting solution to the persistent petrol crisis in the country.
He reiterated that appropriate sanctions would be taken against any marketer or staff implicated in fuel diversion or any act capable of frustrating government’s efforts aimed at stabilising the supply of petroleum products across the country.