The Advanced Learner’s dictionary defines black market as an illegal trading of goods that are not allowed to be bought and sold, or that are not enough for everyone who wants them. The illegal trading of goods and services known as black market only takes place in a war torn nation. And those who indulge in such trading are called black marketers.
The black market came to stay as a result of sharp practices in the oil industry Today it is a common phenomenon in petroleum industry in Nigeria. The black marketers sabotage every effort of government to wipe off or eradicate the presence of black market in Nigeria. It is heart breaking that in oil sector every strategy propounded and initiated could not stamp out black market in the country.
Indeed, because of the quick profit attached to black market in the country, some filling station owners have chosen to hoard petroleum products which they sell to black market dealers at night or when they are not suspected by the public. Petroleum products scarcity is a serious night mare to buyers and users. It is unbelievable that every machinery put in motion by the various governments in the country could not stop black market. The major and minor marketers of the petroleum products are not helping maters as some of them connive with black marketers to sabotage the unnoticed effort of government. Black market is not a system of trading has a free society that war as not ravaged. It is a system of buying and selling carried out in nation where anarchy is brewing. In the country today, there are many filing stations receiving their quota from various depots across the country without fulfilling their services.
The horrible scene is that when motorist and buyers approach the filling stations to buy the products they are turned down with unnecessary and flimsy excuses. And in the end, the products are found in the hands of black marketers selling by the side of the filling station joyfully selling the product to the unsuspected buyers exorbitantly.
The question is, when will black market be eradicated in Nigeria? When will Nigerians drive in to filling stations without excuses from the fuel attendants? In Nigeria if there is pipe line explosion, there will be emergence of scarcity of petroleum products and black market. In Iraq black market was not commonly seen even in the midst of civil war that affected the oil industry. What about Libya that faced serious leadership and economic crises? Black market was not encouraged and there was not serious scarcity of petroleum products in that country.
Venezuela, recently witnessed explosion in their biggest refinery and yet there was no scarcity of the product in the streets of that country. There are people highly placed supporting and encouraging hoarding of petroleum products and black market in the country. One wonders how black market and hoarding of petroleum products have defied every policy of government and became a monster plaguing the nation’s oil industry. Because of activities of mischievous individuals, scarcity and black market have come to stay; which ought not to be so.
The 97 naira per litre is a slogan and a mirage in some parts of Nigeria. Even in Port Harcourt where there are reasonable number of loading depots of petroleum products; it is a difficult exercise to purchase the products. Task force upon task force has been constituted, to curtail black market to no avail. Nigerians face perennial scarcity of petroleum products every time. The black marketers sell petroleum product above the pump price by the government. The government approved pump price is a taboo to black marketers who are bent to make profit at any given time.
Nigerians sometime see petroleum as a curse because of sufferings faced while trying to purchase the products. It is not a cock and bull story that some filling stations hoard the products and black market is every where, even in Abuja, selling the products openly without fear of being arrested. Nigeria is the sixth producer of petroleum in the world; but yet suffers like a non producer. It is pathetic. No wonder the Rivers State Government set up the petroleum monitoring task force to monitor the movement of the products in the state. The task force is vehemently fighting against the activities of black marketers. Rivers State is one of the states with many filling stations and yet the state witnesses and suffers petroleum products scarcity because of the activities of black marketers and hoarding.
Indeed, the task force has apprehended road side black marketers. And the legal prosecution has started. Black market is illegal and should not be encouraged by any body. Filling stations should not indulge in hoarding of the products and should not encourage black market. The federal government should assiduously make the petroleum products available and cheap to Nigerians. It should be made clear that petroleum is not a curse to Nigerians.
But our attitude has caused the reverse. In the Middle East oil is not a curse but blessing to those countries. Therefore, Government and Nigerians should fight against black market and hoarding of petroleum products in the country. It is a sin to suffer for what God has blessed us with. Help the task forces to fight hoarding and black market in Rivers State and Nigeria.
Frank Eneawaji Ogwuonuonu
08028901682
