By Amin Kef Sesay
Some concerned dealers of petroleum products, which include petrol and diesel, have expressed utter surprise over the latest action taken by the Petroleum Regulatory Agency (PRA) that regulates the operations of oil marketing companies in this country, to suspend their licenses on the grounds that they deliberately held back sales to end users in anticipation of a price increase during the festive season.
Expressing their concerns with this medium, the affected dealers and oil marketing companies categorically stated that the regulatory agency acted rashly without following due process and best practice before arriving at the decision to suspend their operational licenses, further underscoring that it was indeed an arbitrary decision.
From what this medium also understood, arrangements were made well ahead of the festive season to ensure that there was sufficient fuel in stock and therefore the problem of scarcity would not take place, which from past experience has been the case during those periods. According to the oil marketing companies, it would have been fool hardy not to sell fuel to the general public when there was enough in stock to last over the festive season.
What in other words they were trying to state is that affected Filling Stations were selling throughout the period and in the case of Filling Stations affiliated with the National Petroleum-Sierra Leone they actually sold the highest products on the very day the PRA claimed they were hoarding. According to the Managements of the Filling Stations, there are records to validate the veracity of the above assertion.
But for them what was so unethical on the part of the PRA was that the regulatory institution never discussed the issue with the Managements of the affected Filling Stations. They claimed that the procurement of fuel at the affected Gas Stations was going at an overwhelming rate to such an extent that it nearly created a mad rush which therefore warranted some form of control by the pump attendants.
“The Filling Station was somehow becoming chaotic as there were commercial, private vehicles, Kekehs and Okada drivers/riders all pulling us here and there creating confusion and therefore we decided refusing selling to anyone until we could be able to restore some sanity,” a dealer at the Mohamed Kamalobee Koroma Enterprises Filling Station stated. He continued that it was at that point that the PRA team stormed the station, checked if they have a stock of fuel which they confirmed was available and there they instantaneously slammed the suspension on them to discontinue sales.
“It would have been better for the PRA Officials to hear from us but they were so tense as if they held a preconceived notion that it was a deliberate and calculated ploy to deprive members of the public,” he expressed disappointment. He argued that attendants at a particular Filling Station can only successfully hoard fuel when there is a general scarcity which he said was not the case as it was widely available meaning if an individual failed to procure it at one location the person would have then moved to another location.
One of the dealers in the provinces, whose Gas Station was also suspended from continuing to do transactions, intimated that the petroleum sector is highly sensitive as it has the potential of making or unseating any political administration depending on availability or otherwise arguing which is why it is imperative to have a very pro-active regulatory institution that must be impartial and create room for oil marketing companies to improve on their service delivery functions. He, however, expressed disdain over the way that the PRA has been bashing and making things difficult for them through the imposition of stiff policies which they must adhere to not in sync with the expectations, in terms of returns, of their investments. “The PRA must have a humane face instead of continuing to act as Goliath with intimidating tactics,” he recommended, adding how such could attract more players to the sector making it possible for many to gain access to petroleum products especially in hard to reach areas in the country.
A renowned Civil Society activist has this to say: “It is but now appropriate for the PRA to revoke its decision of suspending the licenses of the affected dealers, put the issue behind them and allow normalcy to prevail instead of trying to score cheap commendations bordering on effectiveness and efficiency in discharging its regulatory powers.”
It must be anchored at this juncture that the oil marketing companies in this country are contributing tremendously to the economy of this country in diverse ways. Opening of more Gas Stations means more revenue for Government as they are large taxpayers, they provide employment opportunities for many and complement the efforts of the Government in rolling out certain developmental projects through the execution of their Corporate Social Responsibilities etc.
There is no way that their relevance can be overemphasized or compromised. What could be the best thing to do is to nurture them to grow.
