Gasoline In Town …More Expected This Weekend

By Bill W. Cooper
Information Minister, Lenn Eugene Nagbe, has disclosed that the Government of Liberia along with licensed gasoline importers was doing everything to ensure that several thousands of gasoline on tankers are brought into the country yesterday from a neighboring country.
He said the petroleum product when arrived would serve as emergency product and distributed among various filling stations in order to ease the burdens of citizens as well as other residents, as the government continues to work out other remedy to amicably resolve the entire gasoline quagmire.
Addressing the MICAT’s regular Thursday press briefing in Monrovia, Minister Nagbe, among many things, expressed that the government regrets the situation of the gasoline shortage in the country but, is exerting all efforts in ensuring that it is resolved.
Apparently, coming in defense of Commerce Minister Wilson Tarpeh’s earlier statement that enough gasoline was in the country and that there was no shortage instead it was an artificial scheme, Minister Nagbe said that, that was because of the data given to him by the Liberia Petroleum Refining Company (LPRC).
He said Minister Tarpeh cannot be blamed as misleading the public therefore the President has constituted a taskforce to investigate the matter and that committee is expected to report to the office of the President next week Wednesday for prompt action.
The MICAT boss added that as a government who was voted in power to fix the many problems that had existed for decades will not give any excuses, emphasizing “It is our duty as government to provide the ambling environment for all citizens irrespective of your political affiliation and will fix this gasoline problem with immediate urgency”
Meanwhile, Minister Nagbe has also said that government is expecting a ship with at least 12,300 metric tons of gasoline to be dock at the National Port Authority (NPA) this weekend for immediate distribution to filling stations across the country and it is also arranging with a ship from Lome, Togo for additional petroleum products which is expected in country within five days.
He said the products which are expected to be in country at most on Sunday will serve as a reserve in order to avoid the recurrence of the gasoline crisis that harshly hit the country few weeks ago.
“Though we will still maintain the parallel systems for importers to import petroleum products but we as a government will be the guarantor to ensure that fuel be in the country for every six months in terms of emergency and will also establish a national reserved for all commodities that are essential to the citizens,” the MICAT boss averred.