…As Dogara gives reasons for fuel scarcity
Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
House of Representatives has summoned the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, over the crisis at the Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Oron, Akwa Ibom State.
According to a letter dated February 6, 2018 and addressed to the Minister of Transportation, Amaechi is expected to appear before the Ad-hoc Committee investigating alleged breach of Maritime Academy of Nigeria Act on February 27.
He is expected to appear before the committee headed by Yuguda Hassan Kila, alongside the management of the Academy.
Meanwhile, the Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has said that unless Nigeria begins to refine its crude oil locally, fuel scarcity in the country will continue to linger.
Dogara stated this yesterday when he received the executive members of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) at the National Assembly.
He said at the moment the government is making serious efforts to address the current fuel scarcity, noting that whatever reliefs achieved would be temporal in the absence of functional refineries.
According to him, “unless we are able to refine crude locally, we will never be in a position as a nation to say bye to fuel scarcity and that is the truth. Anyone who thinks we can depend on importation and still solve this problem is deceiving himself.
“You see, when you import, you are depending on so many variables. These variables are not within your control and anything can happen along the line that may result in this. The solution is to refine crude locally and end this shame once and for all. The final solution will be to refine this crude, put it in the filing station and say bye to fuel scarcity.”