MILLS, PETROL NOW SELLS AT GH¢6.50

Perhaps the President might not be aware. But the reality is that some fuel stations sell a gallon of petrol for GH¢6.50 (¢65,000 old Ghana Cedis).

And so as Mills led administration struggles to offer cosmetic explanation to the shortage of fuel in most parts of the country, checks made by TODAY have confirmed concerns raised by some drivers that some fuel pumps are exploiting the situation to enrich themselves.

That is what is happening in some parts of the Eastern, Central, Brong Ahafo, Ashanti and the three Northern Regions.

On the spot checks made by the paper in the Regions show total break down in the petroleum price index where certain filling station operators have side-stepped the approved GH¢5.20 gallon price and charging arbitrarily to desperate drivers who investigations have shown are in desperate need of fuel for their vehicles.

The paper gathered that the current situation has arisen from an emerging practice where some fuel tankers from Cote d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso and Togo, who ostensibly are exploiting the Ghanaian situation, smuggle petroleum products from these countries and sell them to some Ghanaian fuel pump operators well and above the Ghanaian price.

The resultant price hike is then transferred on to the Ghanaian driver and passenger. Conversely, certain Ghanaian oil and petrol companies also go to these countries and buy the products and sell them well above the pump price to Ghanaian fuel stations who then also price the products above the stipulated prices to consumers.

“My brother, can you believe this, I came to buy a gallon of petrol and shocking I was given a change of GH¢3.5 when I gave the attendant GH¢10 and when I enquired the attendant told me the product was from Cote D'Ivoire and so the price was higher than the one from Ghana”, Moses Adu-Gyamfi, a resident of Dawu in the Eastern Region angrily told the paper.

“I have noticed that my usual gauge at a particular petrol-buy has reduced drastically and when I found out from some of the attendants, I was told they had increased their prices”, another driver at Nkawkaw told our reporter.

With Ghana yet to firm up a 90 day oil deal with Nigeria, officialdom has hinted TODAY that there is no indication of the fuel situation in the country improving in the coming days.

This reporter found out that, drivers and vehicle owners in those parts of the country, cannot complain much, since the practice is proving to be gaining unofficial endorsement among the fuel pump operators.

“My brother, it is like a conspiracy, every where we go, they quote the same price for a gallon and as the situation stands, we have no option than to comply”, one passenger driver disclosed.

The drivers might have not increased their fares, but have adopted a system where they charge extremely high on goods to make up for the “new” fuel price hike. A passenger who obviously was oblivious of the petrol situation could not understand why a driver's mate could charge her ¢5 for her goods which some three days ago cost her GH¢2.50.

“My son, what kind of country is this? Just about three weeks ago, I was charged GH¢2.50 for similar goods. I don't understand how the drivers arrived at the new prices. Tell me, have they increased petrol again?” Mama Akos rhetorically asked.

Random interviews and interactions by this reporter showed how the situation is affecting drivers who for instance ply on the Koforidua-Dawu-Aburi- Accra road.

“We have complained for several times but at the end of the day as a taxi driver I have to work so I have nowhere to go because it is the same price everywhere,” Obed Opare Ansah, a taxi driver told TODAY

“My brother you see we blame the Mills government for all these because it has not been able to come out and solve the petrol problem once and for all – this tells you how weak and incompetent the NDC government under Professor John Evans Atta Mills has become,” Yaw Mike a Tro-Tro driver lamented.

Raymond Akuffo also reminded President Mills on how he virtually took then President Kufuor to the cleaners for what he thought was an unjustifiably increment in petroleum products when the oil price had been reduced and asked the President what he was doing about the current fuel situation in the country.

“On the 10th of December 2008, then Candidate Professor Atta Mills accused the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) government under ex-President Kufuor of not doing anything to reduce local petrol prices as world crude oil Prices continued to fall;

Also, on December 11th 2008, Ex- President Rawlings released a statement questioning why the government was not reducing petrol prices. He said that the NPP government is playing politics with petrol prices.

Again, I recall on December 13th 2008 that Kwabena Donkor, a spokesman for the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) accused the NPP government of reducing petrol prices just to make Ghanaians to vote for the NPP in the December 28th runoff last year – Professor Mills is the President of Ghana now so after turning the heat on the NPP last year, what is he and the NDC doing now? ”, Raymond Akuffo queried.

Originating at www.theghanaianjournal.com