Petrol Stations Remain Closed In Benue, Govt Struggles To Reopen
Tamenor Kwaghzer
Aug 6, 2025 08:11
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As hardship continues to bite harder, as a result of abrupt closure of petrol stations across Benue State, a quick intervention by becomes the only desirable option to reduce the pains!This situation justifies questioning the sudden withdraw of services by dealers in the state's oil sector? Secretary to the State Government (SSG) Deborah Aber (Mrs.) Esq responded that the Alia administration has not rested on her oars to get the stations reopen.
Disclosing the government position to the Nigeria Union of Journalists led by Comrade Bemdoo Ugber to the office, the SSG explained that though sudden withdrawal by the oil dealers surprised, however, government was not unaware of the problem which started in 2022 and that process for acceptable solution remained on course.
She said "they came to us and intimated on the incident you have just narrated here. It happened sometimes in 2022."
Barrister (Mrs.) Aber continued "the report was what they sent, asking for payment but we needed to sit down and look at the whole scenario, how it played out, because, to us, it appeared to be pure criminal case of theft and vandalism." According to her government was not involved in the act, but the state administration held meetings with the oil dealers to provide lasting solution to the issue. The SSG lamented the shocking shut down of the petrol stations across the state amidst moderate efforts to get the problem resolved!
She continued "we are having meetings and conversations with them. We spoke to the supposed owner of the goods, the company by name Ganaco Investment Limited today being the one that has lost the products." Aber insisted that Ganaco must be part of the meeting which the NUPEBG leadership preferred to leave out the direct victim from the negotiations. Expressing optimism for success of the dialogue, the SSG noted that a resolution would be reached after the day's interface.
Speaking further, Mrs. Aber stated that since government operated as a system, when the incident occurred in 2022, reports about were written by the security agents and that authorities of the government decided to call for documents aimed at taking a justifiable action that solves the problem very fairly.
Acknowledging that the issue lingered unresolved for a long while, she said, the decision to reconstitute a fresh committee to address the matter became compelling on assumption of the duty and that the process believably guaranteed better understanding of the case in issue.
She explained also that the state government requested Department of State Security and other relevant agencies of law enforcement to provide the details of the problem and the process of assembling those details were misunderstood by the oil dealers as delaying to end the crisis.
Have the criminals been arrested and what is the extent of liability that arose from the action of criminals? Barrister Aber responded that when the security reports on the matter come to her office, she would be in the best position to say something about it. She said, the affected oil dealers were seeking the sum of forty five million naira as recompense.
No official of the oil union obliged comment. Unofficial sources alleged however that the delay to solve the problem forced national headquarters of the union to takeover the matter and that the three days warning strike were authorized by the body seeking the accelerated action. The source added that at expiration of the warning strike, it would become indefinite if the warning got ignored!
Blaming government for the alleged delay, the unofficial source claimed that the issue started in 2022 when the oil tankers owned by one of the union members got vandalized in Aliade, Gwer East Local Government Area of the state.
It disclosed that the total of forty five (45,000) thousand cubic litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) known also as petrol was stolen by the large crowd of hoodlums that vandalized the vehicle and left its owner very helplessly!
It continued that the act of vandalism was reported to the relevant security agents and the local and state authorities, yet arrests were not made to reprimand the culprits aimed at serving as deterrence!
It lamented further that after the documents concerning the vandalism were given to the security agents and the other authorities for action, little or no progress has been made.
Similarly the source expressed concern allegedly about the government officials that when meetings were scheduled and the oil dealers attended in line with the time advertised, the government officials came hours far behind as if other stakeholders had nothing to do but waste productive the time!
One of the most disturbing aspects of the allegation according to the complainant was that after those dealers endured effects of the alleged ill treatment, government put forward another problem by insisting on constituting the fresh committee to start investigation of the matter a fresh! The complaints have suspected the committee as part of tactics to frustrate allegedly the process after the investigation concluded long ago.
Under the circumstance, the battle line appears drawn as closures of the petrol stations remain in force. This is where government requires to show magnanimity in power desired to cushion the negative effects on the ordinary citizens of the sate.
Amidst confusion, the confirmation is that the oil dealers failed to show up at the meeting venue scheduled for Tuesday, August 5th, 2025 in the SSG's office with other government officials. It has been confirmed also that the SSG left the venue after six o'clock in the evening.
The union needs to shift position to save itself against the public perception that they are on strike to raise prices of petrol products amidst the government's insistence on reduction of the costs!
