Nigeria is grounded: no petrol, no diesel and no kerosene. This is symptomatic of a distressed nation or a country at war. In Lagos, most motorists have gone off the road leaving commuters with no option than to take to trekking. Worse still, commercial activities have come to a standstill. Very soon, telecom services across the country would be disrupted if the scarcity is not arrested. Banks, telecom service providers and other service companies have issued notices of an inevitable shutdown in their operation.
The out-going Goodluck Jonathan government has pretended that all is well. “This is the most irresponsible government and the very worst in the nation’s history. Jonathan has gone from good to evil, even poison to Nigerians”, bemoaned a food vendor in the busy Computer Village in Lagos who said she could not get fuel to power her generator and fans and even chill her drinks for her clients.
The shameful fuel scarcity in the world’s sixth largest producer of crude oil and a long-standing member of OPEC has taken grave toll on corporate Nigeria with many offices either forced to shut down or facing imminent closure.
For instance, the management of Guaranty Trust Bank on Sunday announced that all its branches nationwide will be closed by 1.00pm effective from (today) Monday.
According to notice sent out to customers, the bank that the decision was taken because of the lingering fuel scarcity across the country.
“The current shortage of petroleum products in the country has limited our ability to supply diesel to all our branches, in order to continue normal branch operations.
“Due to this, we unavoidably have to close our branches nationwide at 1pm, from tomorrow Monday, 25th May 2015.
“Whilst we have had to take this step to close branch operations early, we would like to seek your understanding at this time, and assure you that we will continue to work hard at finding alternative solutions to this situation and will advise you once the situation has abated”.
The Bank however, said all other alternative channels such as Internet Banking, ATM and SMS Banking “will be fully functional and available for all your Personal and Business Banking”.
Also yesterday, one of the leading telecommunication operators in Nigeria, Airtel Networks Limited has said that if the current fuel and diesel scarcity persists, its voice and data services may be disrupted.
In a statement on Sunday, the management informed customers and the general public that the prevailing situation in the country regarding the scarcity of diesel and other petroleum products is presently impacting negatively on its commitments to delivering best-in-class quality of service and seamless telephony experience to all Nigerians.
“While we are currently doing everything within our means as well as going the extra mile to ensure that all our base stations and switches are up and running, it is sad to note that it is becoming increasingly difficult to replenish current stock of diesel due to the lingering scarcity of the products.
“We are also concerned that, if the situation persists, it may have adverse effects on our network, impacting both voice and data services.
“Airtel, therefore wishes to assure all customers that we will continue working with all our partners and stakeholders to mitigate any negative impact as we remain committed to our promise of providing exceptional services just as we seek the cooperation and understanding of all whilst apologising for any inconvenience at this time”.
