Lagos LP kicks against fuel price hike

… Says Tinubu should jettison haulage system for products distribution

The Lagos State chapter of the Labour Party has kicked against the increase in the prices of petroleum products in the country. The LP also charged President Bola Tinubu to revert to the underground pipeline network for distribution of the products to ensure their availability in the country and stop making life difficult for Nigerians.

A chieftain of the party In the state, Moshood Salvador spoke on behalf of the party in chat with journalists in Surulere over the weekend.

The briefing was also attended by several party members in the state, including the national youth leader, Barry Jhonson.

Salvador, who is also the Leader of Conscience Forum, a group within the opposition party, while making the call, said there was some information that the President should be aware of if he were yet in the know, recalling the petroleum policy in place which stipulated 5 per cent reservation for Nigerian consumption on daily of the amount of crude produced in the country.

According to the LP chieftain”, this 5 per cent of the daily crude is what they should refine for the country, noting that this policy had been in practice for a long time, but quickly wondered where such was being diverted to and, therefore, the need for President Tinubu to do his investigation to know the truth and where they put the 5percent of the crude they produced every day for Nigerian consumption.

“We advise the President to revert to the underground pipeline network for distribution of petroleum products to ensure petroleum products availability in the country.

“We are not in support of the hike, it is creating too much hardship for our people. There are some things we believe President should know and if he doesn’t know, we have to provide the information to him.

“The petroleum policy we have been operating in this country has 5 per cent reservation for Nigerian consumption for daily crude supply.

“This 5 per cent of the daily crude is what they should refine for the country as we pay for cost of refining it. This is what has been in practice for a long time.

“Can we ask the President, do your investigation to know the truth and where they put the 5 per cent of the crude they produced every day for Nigerian consumption?

On the underground pipeline network system, Salvador stated that it was designed to make it easy for distribution of petroleum products in the country, even as he equally noted that Nigeria was handed over some of the best refineries in the whole world which they now sabotaged and made sure they are no more functional.

Besides, he sadly noted that even the channels of distribution of petroleum products, which is through the underground pipeline and designed for all states to get at the press of a button, had now been converted to a haulage system where they would put trailers on the road and put Nigerians in danger.

“What happened to all these underground pipeline?

“For your information, the details of those underground pipelines, we have about 8 systems of these underground pipelines. System 2A is Warri-Benin, it is 90km length of pipeline and 16-inch diameter, with a machine that pumps 300 cubic meters per hour. It is there, what are they doing with it?

“Benin-Ore, the pipeline is 114km and 14-inch in diameter, which pumps 300 cubic meters per hour, I have to read all these to let you know that there is no area in the country that these pipelines network does not reach. These pipelines are still there, can we ask them what are they there for?” he further queried.

“The leadership of the Labour Party is asking President to revert to this and stop punishing Nigerians, making life difficult. They should go back and investigate all these and get the facts for them to work on.

“That’s why we need to call the attention of everybody in this country to make sure that they are on the government to stop this hardship for our people. We in the Labour Party, we are not at all in support of the hike in petroleum price,” he stated.