A former information minister Jerry Gana has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently stem the tide of fuel scarcity that has visited many hardships on Nigerians.

“And so, we direct them, request them, and urge them on behalf of the people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to do something urgently. It is not an appeal but the people of the nation are calling on the government to do something urgently,” Mr Gana said on Thursday. 

Nigerians have been railing against punishing fuel queues that have lingered for months and has defied various interventions.

The scarcity has further caused a steep rise in the pump price of petrol as many stations are selling above the official rate.

Speaking further, Mr Gana said the country’s economy has been affected by the “needless scarcity” just as he noted that the long queues at the filling stations are intolerable. 

The former minister, who spoke at the 106th anniversary of the Archbishop Vining College of Theology in Akure, Ondo capital, challenged the president to perform his duty as the fuel shortage was causing a serious problem.  

According to him, commercial drivers and commuters who consumed the product more have been facing untold hardships nationwide. 

“We expect them to perform their duty because the fuel shortage is a serious problem and we know the government of the day should certainly do something decisively about the fuel crisis,” Mr Gana added.  

Mr Gana also reacted to the planned phase out of old banknotes. He demanded a quick extension of the deadline date. 

“The issue of new naira notes, people are going through very serious difficulties, this is not a joke, we are speaking from what we see on the field and therefore they should not ruin this economy,” he said. 

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has issued January 31 as the last day for the collection of the old notes for the new naira currency. 

Following the deadline, many Nigerians have been finding it difficult to exchange old notes with new ones. 

However, Mr Gana explained that despite the approaching deadline set by the apex bank, many citizens are still unable to obtain the new redesigned naira notes.

“Ordinary people cannot get access to the new notes and therefore we are very much in support of the extension of the date. 

“This is very important, it is not for the elite but for people living in thousands of areas within the country and don’t have access and they are the economy and they should therefore listen to those people,” the Minister said. 

He later called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure that the February 25 and March 11 2023 general elections were transparent and credible. 

Mr Gana added, “The election must hold and we want every agency within the security forces to please cooperate with INEC to give us a free, fair, and credible election.”