Okooza Sunday (NUPENG chieftain)
The main focus of the whole exercise at the end of the day is to better the lot of the masses, deregulation seems to be the only way that can assure stability in the price of the petrol and it certainly has no other alternative. It is not only deregulation that we should be talking about, what we really need in this country is a change of attitude towards one another and the country as a whole, there is no love in this country.
You will find out that there is so much lackadaisical attitude in the country towards government properties and that is why our refineries have collapsed, if the corruption we are talking about is not tackled right from the top and down to the ordinary man on the streets, I am afraid that the deregulation itself might not yield good results.
Frank Kokori (NUPENG ex- Sec. Gen.)
They said investors will not come in until you deregulate, that is too simplistic and pedestrian, in other words you are not un government and you are not a leader because if you are a leader you cannot say that the oil industry will fall into the hands of some cabal, the solution is that government must always be there especially as Nigeria is a mono-product economy, to put checks and balances in every sphere of the economy. Nigeria is not yet ripe for an uncontrolled free market economy.
Tunde Salami (Teacher)
Personally, I don’t think deregulation is the answer, instead the government should repair the refineries, we have this crude oil in Nigeria and it will be better if they are refined here. But our government is not ready to commit such monies into our refineries, they believe in embezzling money, taking the product to their personal refineries out there for personal gains. That has been our problem.
Deregulating the oil sector now will make the product available but the masses will be made to suffer because the importers will want to make 100 percent gain. Meanwhile, while it is being regulated, government makes profit from it too, but if it is deregulated, the marketers will make maximum gains.
Olanife Adeoye (Petroleum Marketer)
Deregulation still remains the only answer or partial deregulation which means government and private partnership. I believe it is still the only way out because on the long run, we are going to benefit from it, in the short run it may be harsh. Take a look at other countries abroad where there is total deregulation, things are working fine but those that have total regulation like the Soviet Union now there is total collapse, initially everybody may be enjoying it but on the long run government will not be able to sustain it and it will collapse.
Most of the people opposing deregulation do not know the benefits in it, they don’t bother to look around the world where they have deregulated to see what is obtainable there and the benefits therein. Initially, the price may be very high and this will make a lot of investors to rush to take advantage of the high price and the profit margin but with time the competition will drop the price and it will now become normalized.
Alhaji Ayo Fabode (Petrol station manager)
The deregulation has been tried before during the Obasanjo regime. But if we look at it very well, it has failed even though we did not experience this kind of scarcity situations then. Instead of talking about deregulation why can’t the government face the refineries and make sure that they are functioning well to produce enough for the consumers? It is just a pity that those at the top, I mean those at the helm of affairs love scarcity and all this kind of situation because that is where they get their gains.
My own submission is that government should just leave the petrol to stabilize the way it is.
Ibirinde Adeolu (Filling station attendant)
I believe that the solution to the problem is to build more refineries and rehabilitate all the ones that have been vandalized in the past, there should also be more effort to get private investors to come and invest in our refineries so that instead of continuing to export our product and importing it at higher price due to the cost of transportation, we would simply refine it here. Also, there are other things that will be realized from this crude, not only petrol, we have the kerosene, we have AGO and others, including plastic materials and all other benefits.
I still support deregulation, but first of all let government build these refineries. At first we might suffer, but in the long run it is going to bring down the price just like that of kerosene and diesel.
Fidel Aisuodionoe (PTD worker)
With the way we are going now; by the time government finally announces deregulation, the pains that Nigerians anticipate will vanish. I don’t think there is any alternative to deregulation, the refineries are not working and yet government spends huge amount of money to refurbish the rusting refineries, even if the refineries are working, the number of cars on Nigerian roads have increased, so also the level of AGO consumption and the other products have also increased which means that there will be pressure on the four refineries that we have; even if they are working. If there will be deregulation, they should make sure that the price is reasonable.
Innocent Francis (Oil marketer)
We are an oil producing country and we ought not to be suffering for petroleum products. Another advice is that for the deregulation to work effectively, the economy needs to be boosted; there should be increase in workers’ salary so that even if the price is set for a N100 they will be able to afford it.
If salary can be increased, then the standard of living will improve, if people can afford to buy beer of N200, they will be able to afford the price at any cost.
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