Sierra Leone’s Trade Minister, Dr. Hinga Sandy, has downplayed concerns from Oil Marketing Companies over issues around the supply of fuel in the country.
The Minister was reacting to damning concerns from French giants, Total, who have in a letter addressed to the Trade Minister stated a number of challenges relating to the excruciating exchange rate in the country, tax issues and debts owed by Government to Total Sierra Leone.
The release form Total has noted amongst other things that they are constrained in brining jet A1 fuel, petrol, diesel and other petroleum products into the country in December 2019.
Mr. Sandy who was speaking to journalists on Thursday in Freetown noted that all the OMCs such as Total Sierra Leone, NP and LEONCO, have all either brought fuel in town in the last two days or are expected to bring in fuel in the next few days.
Minister Sandy says the past situation that has marred the supply of fuel to citizens was a seeming scarcity and they as a government have moved in robustly to solve the problem.
The Trade Minister indicated that as a government they are not aware about the issues highlighted by Total in their letter and underscored the point that they met with the OMCs on Monday and all the issues they raised the Ministry tried very hard to address them.
The Minister apologized to the general public for what he referred to as ‘the seeming scarcity of fuel’ and assured all that the country now has sufficient fuel for the celebrations.
He stated that there will be no price increase in fuel and that Government has analyzed the various international pricing formulas which could have precipitated a price increase.
The question many people have asked is that who is telling the truth between Government and the OMCs?
Total has highlighted a number of issues which could not have been solved in just these few days by government but again why is it that the OMCs have been able to supply fuel to the country just in few days when people were almost speculating scarcity and price increase?