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Another Fuel Crisis, No Scapegoat (Tankers Drivers) In Sight By Bosah Chinedu Tankers drivers were the scapegoat few weeks ago when fuel scarcity resurfaced in Lagos and some parts of the country. Today, fuel scarcity has returned in virtually all parts of the country including Abuja, and we have looked round for the usual scapegoat, but could not find it. Lagos and other parts of the country had a dose of petroleum scarcity and its attendant hardship courtesy the face-off between the Petroleum Tanker Drivers Union and the Lagos state government. NUPENG naturally responded to the seizure of their 27 tankers by the Lagos state government by calling on its members to down tool, which created a lot of problem on April 20 and 21, 2009, until all tankers were released. Lagos state government had seized the tankers, because they were packed on the road, while NUPENG stated it was as a result of the overwhelming number of tankers that came from other parts of the country to Lagos to get petroleum products. Many who criticised the tanker drivers laid the blame squarely on the drivers and had the false illusion that as soon as the strike was called off, things would come to normal. What is to be blamed for the perennial hardship? Obviously, the crises were caused by the lack of planning of production and distribution, which is made possible by the neo-liberal policies that only guarantee the profit interests of a few instead of meeting the needs of all. In the absence of a planned society, anarchy becomes the order of the day. This explains the perennial crises in the oil sector, which manifest themselves in scarcity of petroleum products, increases in fuel prices, and strike actions. Traditionally, Nigerians in some states up-north and down-south perpetually live with fuel scarcity; in most cases they pay as much as N100 to N200 per litre of petrol. Few weeks ago, major oil marketers threatened to suspend importation, should the federal government refuse to pay monies being owed them. According to them, the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) has underpaid them to the tune of $319.80million. True to type, they have gone ahead with the suspension of importation, an action that has further worsened the crisis. It appears the current hike in prices and scarcity was orchestrated by the major marketers and the federal government with the aim to smuggle deregulation and hike in prices from the back door, thereby using scarcity to justify deregulation as the only solution to the perennial crises. The government’s response to the problems is to deregulate the downstream sector of the oil industry, which will completely hand over production, importation and distribution of petroleum products to private interests. In the West, the spiritual home of capitalist neo-liberal ideology, the free market economy is now on its knees begging for government/public interventions to enable the countries to survive the global economic crisis, which is a consequence of the market economy. But in Nigeria the federal government as well as state governments keep holding on to the same anti-poor market policies that will further pauperise Nigerians. What we need is a socialised planned economy, which takes into account the best method of production and organised means of distribution to meet the needs of all. Where to start from is to nationalise the commanding heights of our economy (top companies in steel, oil and gas, banking etc.,) and place them under democratic control of workers and the general public in order to mobilise adequate resources for developmental programme and forestall any corrupt practices that could derail overall public objectives. For example, why would the “giant of Africa (Nigeria)” solely depend on tankers for the movement of petroleum products, while pipelines can be constructed and rail transportation explored? Pipelines and rail transportation constitute better means of transportation and distribution of petroleum products. Why are the refineries moribund and why must we be at the mercy of merchants both in Nigeria and internationally? It’s simply because it is far more profited to these merchants when importation of petroleum products becomes the order of the day. This is only made possible because the government we have only represents the interests of these merchants and will do anything to defend these interests. Any government that cannot mobilise its citizens to handle production and distribution adequately, but rather surrender them to unelected private persons and interest, is not fit to be called a government. The Education Rights Campaign (ERC) fully backs the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the Labour and Civil society Coalition (LASCO) in their opposition to the planned full deregulation of the oil sector, and the planned nationwide protest. We call on Labour and Civil Society Coalition (LASCO) and labour movement to do everything humanly possible, including mobilisation of Nigerian workers and masses to defeat these anti-people policies of deregulation, privatisation etc. This includes the labour movement building its own mass political party as a means of defeating all anti-people policies in the long run. This is the sure way to the promise land.
Bosah Chinedu National Secretary Education Rights Campaign (ERC)
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