Adewale Adeniyi, the acting Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), has told border villages’ people that measures are being taken to quickly restore the delivery of petroleum products there.
The delivery of petroleum products to border villages was outlawed in 2019 by the government of former President Muhammadu Buhari, according to Cluster.
Filling stations within 20 km of the borders were not permitted to receive or dispense petrol due to an order from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).
The order was implemented as part of Operation Swift Response, which oversaw the Buhari administration’s closing of the land border with the intention of preventing the illicit bunkering of the then-subsidized gasoline to neighboring nations.
People who live in border regions have had a difficult time since 2019 since they must travel 20 km to buy gasoline for their generators, especially given the unstable supply of electricity.
Communities around the border have been calling for a reassessment of the Buhari policy ever since President Bola Tinubu removed the gasoline subsidy.
They contend that since the government no longer provides subsidies for gasoline, the prohibition on fuel distribution in border areas is no longer warranted.
The acting Comptroller General of Customs told Clusterchannel on a recent visit to Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State, that the policy would be revisited soon.
“On fuel supply in border communities, we are actively monitoring the situation,” Adebiyi told Clusterchannel. If you recall, the Senate expressed the same issue in a resolution that was passed approximately two or three weeks ago. In relation to this, we also concur.
“We have made our position known to the National Security Adviser, and we are hoping that in the next few days, there might be a review of this policy.”
