Presidential Research & Communications Unit

President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua is seriously disturbed by the growing shortage of petrol supply across the country caused by the strike action embarked upon by tanker drivers in Lagos and has swung the machinery of government into action to resolve the matter.

Presidential spokesman, Mr Olusegun Adeniyi told reporters on April 19 that the President is very saddened by the development.

According to the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity:

“The President at the weekend met with the Ministers of Finance and Petroleum as well as the Group Managing Director (GMD) of the NNPC (Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation) on the fuel scarcity. And he (the President) was assured the nation currently has enough supply of PMS to meet demand; and that the fuel scarcity currently being experienced in some parts of the country arose as a result of the problem between tanker drivers and Lagos State Government. Because of this, the President is having a meeting tonight (yesterday) with the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, to find out what the problems are and how to resolve them in the interest of all Nigerians."

"President Yar'Adua is saddened by the re-emergence of long queues at the filling stations, brought about by the misunderstanding between the parties involved and is eager to halt the ugly situation. He is calling for patience and understanding of Nigerians over the situation."

Mr Adeniyi said the President's meeting with Governor Fashola would set the tone for the amicable resolution of the disagreement so that the drivers would resume the loading of petroleum products.

He also said that President Yar'Adua has mandated Vice President Goodluck Jonathan to meet with the ministers of finance and petroleum and the GMD of NNPC towards fine-tuning strategies "on how to checkmate the antics of some marketers who were out to blackmail government into paying questionable sums of money running into billions of naira by refusing to import."