The Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) has called on the federal government to urgently resolve the lingering fuel scarcity that is adversely impacting businesses across the country.
ACCI President, Emeka Obegolu, said the shortage has made it more expensive for people and businesses to transport goods and conduct transactions, frustrating the ease of doing business.
He spoke with The Guardian while reacting to the negative effects of fuel shortage on small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) across the country.
“The current fuel scarcity is hurting businesses and hampering economic activities. We urge the government to address the root causes of the problem as a matter of priority,” he said.
He explained that although the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has assured Nigerians that queues across the country would soon be cleared, there is a need to intensify efforts to meet the goal.
Obegolu noted that the scarcity has led to unnecessary hardship with some unpatriotic citizens taking advantage of the situation.
“We are hopeful that Dangote Refinery and other new refineries coming onboard will help eliminate this ugly trend and make Nigeria self-sufficient and less reliant on fuel imports,” he noted.
He called on NNPCL to expedite action on the distribution of petroleum products across the country to ease speculation and reduce the hardship Nigerians are facing due to shortage.
