Fuel Crisis: Which Way Nigeria?

#corporateleadersOn the one hand Nigeria's energy policy requires government to ensure access to energy and it's supply, on the other hand it calls govt to use energy to develop the economy. See National Energy Requirements Responsibility Act.

The compliance guidelines on Petroleum Industry Act 2021 reveal new legal and governance changes in oil and gas industry, such that makes it difficult for decisions to be taken without consultation with stakeholders.

Yet government is expected to implement the provisions of the Act so as to transform the industry and enable complete deregulated upstream and downstream sectors.

NNPC NEW Private Company was unveiled on 19th July, 2022 by PMB, amidst incomniums poured on the expectations of the 'new company '. One such expectation is deregularizatioin.

Therefore when the President declared 'fuel subsidy gone', it was in the direction of deregularizatioin. Hoarding and price hikes had sent pandamonium across the country. Consequently NLC had to declare nationwide strike to protest the fuel hike.

Like economists would say buyers and sellers commenced the new regime with abnormal profits which is only ephemeral.

The next level would be supply of fuel from any available source provided it makes economic sense. Then in the interim with abundant supply the abnormal profits would disappeared. Normal and stable price would be established by the price system..

The damage (both political and economic) would have been done before sanity returns.

Ikechukwu Odoemelam Esq
IKECHUKWU O. ODOEMELAM & CO
Legal Practitioners of the
Supreme Court of Nigeria