Fuel scarcity: Lagos Assembly urges Buhari to end hardship

The Lagos State House of Assembly on Tuesday, called on President Muhammadu Buhari to proffer solution to the lingering fuel scarcity and its attendant hardship on citizens. The call followed a motion raised by the Majority Leader of the House, Mr Sanai Agunbiade and seconded by Mr Segun Olulade, the Chairman, House Committee on Health, under matter of public urgent importance.
Agunbiade said a lot of workers were lamenting over gridlock caused by fuel queues. “In Lagos, every minute counts. Many workers now get queries for coming late to work. People now store petrol at homes. “Prices of goods and commodities are high, and fares have increased.
The President should address the issue of fuel scarcity and deal with everyone involved,” he said. Olulade, on his part, said: “A lot of people are facing serious hardship; we have hospitals that cannot provide electricity in case of emergency because of scarcity. The President should address the issue quickly.” Contributing, Mr Tunde Braimoh, the Chairman, House Committee on Information, Strategy and Security, described the situation as ‘’embarrassing’’, saying that the President has all it takes to salvage the situation. Also, Mr Yinka Ogundimu, the Chairman, House Committee on Finance, said all agencies in Lagos were overstretched and a lot of time was wasted queuing for fuel. “We should call on the President to come up with immediate solution,” he said. The Speaker of the House, Mr Mudashiru Obasa, said it was not necessary to start apportioning blames or identifying scapegoats, but the Federal Government should find a lasting solution to the problem. “I saw people carrying kegs all over the city and I understand that some of them sleep at filling stations. “The roads from my house were deserted as I was coming to the office and this is a bad signal. “Mr President should look for a solution; we should not look at the past or blame the Petroleum Minister for what he said recently since he has apologised. We must take action now. “Whatever it is, our people should get fuel to move around for their businesses. We must avoid whatever can lead to angry mobs. It is becoming so unbearable and it must not be allowed,” he said. The Speaker directed the Clerk of the House, Mr Ganiu Abiru, to write a letter to the President to find a lasting solution to the problem and make fuel available in Lagos State. The House said that the President should address the people on the situation and appealed to residents to be calm until a solution was found to the problem. It also called on Buhari to direct all the necessary Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) that have direct connections with the distribution of fuel to help the masses by curbing the hardship. The lawmakers said that special attention should be given to Lagos State as the economic nerve centre of the nation as many workers now sleep at filling stations. The House also called on Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode to direct the necessary agencies in the state to effectively control gridlock occasioned by scarcity. It noted that the indiscriminate queuing at filling stations had affected traffic flow and many people were getting to their offices late. (NAN)