Reps Demand Review Of Ban On Fuel Supply To Border Areas By Customs

The House of Representatives on Friday called on the Nigerian Customs Service to review its directive stopping the delivery of petroleum products to filling stations 20 kilometers from Nigerian land borders.

It also directed the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) to submit to the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), the list of all legally registered filling stations in the country.

This was after a serious deliberation at a public hearing convened by the House Joint Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream), Custom and Excise and Interior chaired by Abdullahi Mahmud  Gaya (Kano-APC).

Read Also: Customs Suspends Supply Of Petroleum Products To Filling Stations Around Borders

The meeting followed a motion moved on the floor of the House earlier against the directive which was adopted and referred to the committees for investigation.

During the public hearing, Sada Soli Jibia (APC-Katsina) who moved the motion at plenary said the policy was worsening illegal activities around the border areas.

He, therefore, called for the Federal Government to have a rethink at the policy and make all the necessary adjustments and introduce palliative measures to bring succor to the people.

Responding, the Comptroller General (CG) of Customs, Col. Hameed Ali (rtd) said the decision was taken after a security meeting with relevant agencies on the need to curb the activities of economic saboteurs smuggling petroleum products across the border.

He said the service discovered how owners of filling stations used their licenses to get products but which they divert to other countries to sell at higher prices