THE lingering fuel crisis in the coun try may not end soon, just as the Federal Government and some state governors have been fingered as the architect of the crisis.
In the last six weeks, Nigerians have been groaning under the problem of inadequate supply of the commodity and the outrageous price of the commodity by the marketers.
Saturday Tribune reliably learnt that a breach of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the Federal government and major oil companies in the country was partially responsible for the present crisis.
The Federal Government, under the agreement, was expected to subsidize the cost of importation of the product by the major marketers who had agreed to source and import fuel for local consumption.
However, the Federal Government was said to have reneged on the agreement shortly after, while the marketers felt they could only sell at a loss if the landing costs and other expenses were to be borne by them alone.
ST learnt that many of them at present had enough stock of the product to satisfy local consumption, but they have refused to distribute, thus, causing artificial scarcity.
It was further learnt that rather than lifting the product directly to outlet stations, they now work with the independent marketers who buy at a higher cost than the N65 pump price per litre and consequently sold at above the approved pump price to the consumers.