How we can end the long lasting fuel scarcity

In the past few weeks, Nigerian have been groaming under a biting fuel scarcity. Fuel shortage has become a recurring decimal. But it should not be, argues, Dr Victor
Iyama, Chairman, Board of Trustees, Cocoa Association of Nigeria (CAN) and President, Federation of Agricultural
Commodity Associations of Nigeria (FACAN), In this

interview with DANIEL ESSIET, he says if the refinery business becomes open, fuel scarcity will end.

The Federal Government plans to raise N1.84 trillion tobfund the budget? How will this affect the economy?
If I was in a position to advise the Federal Government, I would have said we should live within our means.

We should be ready to take some painful steps now so the future generation can enjoy.

By and large, infrastructure is very important, but we must consider the state of our finance and not plunge the nation into further debts. If strategic infrastructural developments are to be undertaken, it must be done in such a way that the government will spend less.

For instance, road infrastructure development should be given to
concessionaires.
I will support independent concessionaires running them nationwide.
Let us get private concerns to run our roads for an agreed number of years and then later hand over the roads to
government or extend the concession as the case may be.

We can use road tolling as a tool to finance infrastructure. This idea will free up more resources for other things to be done in the country.
We are in a precarious situation now; we are here because we refused to save for the rainy day; we were eating everything.

This is a government of change. Change
must be demonstrated in all ramifications. We must be ready to cut so many things off, if not we will be mortgaging the future of the children yet unborn.
I am surprised to read in the papers that the Senate wants to buy new cars. How can they be talking about that? Is it
too much for them to use their cars for oversight functions? How can they plan to spend that kind of money on cars now when we say we are tightening our
belts?

Nigerians are calling for an economic blue print that will address the falling oil price and aid sustainable development. What do you suggest?

Refinery business should be thrown totally open. If a man has a capacity to refine, then let him be allowed to set up something.

Whatever capacity he has to refine, let
him be encouraged to set up something. Let the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) be a supervisory
body.

You don’t have to confine me to a special licence. If the Dangotes of this world can build five billion litres
capacity refinery, then let them build it. Let other smaller.