TheCable

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has called on the federal government to be on the lookout for “sponsors” of artificial petroleum scarcity towards the end of the year.

In a statement by Ishaq Akintola, MURIC director, the group described the scarcity as an “annual phenomenon, asking the government to avoid  a repeat of the situation in 2018.

The group blamed the scarcity on unnamed “enemies of the people” whom it says do not care about Nigerians.

MURIC accused the alleged sponsors of the fuel scarcity of attempts to discredit the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.

“November is just three days away today and these agents of darkness must be somewhere now plotting to disrupt the smooth flow of supply and distribution,” the statement read.

“Their main objective is to discredit the government of the day particularly now that the 2019 election is just a stone’s throw away. It is therefore necessary for FG to watch out from now on. Another attempt may be made to cause artificial fuel scarcity.

“Those behind the move do not care about the common man. They do not care about hundreds of citizens who will be stranded on the roads as a result of fuel scarcity or the average Nigerian car owner who will be compelled to spend hours at fuel stations.”

Nigerians were faced with fuel scarcity in the last two months of 2017, spilling over into early 2018, with motorists having to spend nights at filling stations.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) had blamed the scarcity on marketers whom it said allegedly hoarded the product.

Ibe Kachikwu, minister of state for petroleum resources, had also blamed the shortfall on the monopoly of importation of the product by NNPC.