BlackBox Nigeria

Add BBN on 2BAFB965
During the laying to rest of Nollywood veteran actor Muna Obiekwe, John Okafor (MR IBU), while giving a short speech offered to sponsor one of Muna's children. He also encouraged his colleagues to do same instead of blaming the death. This gesture was greatly appreciated by fans that were in attendance.  

What a commendable effort...See Video below

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nasZYOBx-rU

@blackboxupdate

Add BBN on 2BAFB965‎

Nigerian singer and Mavin First Lady, Tiwa savage just reveal her latest secret to fans, The married singer who is yet to expect a baby from her husband TEE BILLZ took to her instagram account to announce she had a son but definitely not from her husband…

She adopted him not long ago…..

@blackboxupdate

Add BBN on 2BAFB965‎

Controversial celebrity, Tonto Dikeh has been in the news lately for allegedly dating a married man and after about a week she addresses it via Twitter.

After months of keeping the identity of her lover hidden, she revealed him to the world and anonymous sources claimed he was married with children. To further prove that he was married, his wedding photos from 2012 surfaced on the internet.

Days passed as the stories that Tonto is involved with a married man by the name of Churchill Lanre Oladunni and Tonto kept mum on the issue until today.

She shared a message on Instagram saying "I STOPPED CARING ABOUT WHAT PEOPLE THOUGHT OF ME YEARS AGO*THOUGHTS CHANGE,FEELINGS CHANGE BUT THANK GOD THAT JESUS IS CONSISTENT YESTERDAY,TODAY & FOREVER* BE FREE FROM PEOPLE'S EVER CHANGING THOUGHTS ABOUT YOU*ITS ALL SUBJECT TO CHANGE BASED ON THEIR TODAY & TOMMORROW FEELINGS**
JUST ANOTHER REASON TO BE FREE FROM PEOPLES BONDAGE.They hate you today? it's ok,TOMMORROW IS A NEW DAY.

@blackboxupdate

Add BBN on 2BAFB965‎

After news broke out of Nadia Buari's delivery of a set of twins, many suspected that her 'baby daddy' would be actor/ BFF/ex-fiance – Jim Iyke.

According to reports from Ghana however, Iyke, who proposed to Buari on an episode of his reality show (Jim Iyke: Unscripted) is not the father of the babies.

Vanessa Gyan, who hosts the Late Nite Celebrity Show on e.TV, revealed that the actress gave birth in the presence of her mother and brother in an hospital in Atlanta, with her fiancé showing up later.

She also added that Jim Iyke is not the father of Nadia's twins and that Nadia is currently engaged to the father of her twins.

According to another report, Nadia and the 'baby daddy' attended University together; which in all lends credence to Jim not being the father of the babies.

@blackboxupdate

Add BBN on 2BAFB965‎‎

The National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) has finally reveal the reason they took off highly anticipated romantic movie Fifty Shades of Grey' from Nigerian cinemas.

The Censors board in a statement obtained cited 'public interest' as the reason the movie was banned from the cinemas. Fifty Shades of Grey has also been banned in Kenya.

NFVCB stated that all approved movies  are to be released with appropriate consumer advisory regarding imitable technique, strong language, violence, drug abuse and fetish rituals.

Fifty Shades of Grey didn't meet the aforementioned requirement and was not part of the movies approved between December, 2014 and January, 2015.

@blackboxupdate

Add BBN on 2BAFB965
A security expert, Oludare Ogunlana has said that insecurity arose as a result of chronic failure of leadership. This, he said, poses a threat to the sustenance of our democratic rule in Nigeria.

Ogunlana spoke at opening of the Western Zonal Districts' Conference of ICAN held at the Plaza De Haruna Hotel, Oyo.

He said that insecurity is a problem of bad governance which has become a major obstacle to growth in Nigeria

He posited that people continue to die as kidnapping has became a daily incident in the country, noting that there are no drugs in the hospitals; armed robbery is on the increase: poverty is not reducing.

Saying that No community is immuned to the effect of disasters, he argued that only leaders "who are imbued with a deep sense of mission to solve societal problems without creating additional problems are fit to govern other people, no matter what the geographical location may be.

Meanwhile, the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi has promised his continuous support towards the progress of the institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria.

The monarch who disclosed this while declaring open the conference advised that those who does not have financial knowledge should not be made to head financial offices.

Oba Adeyemi who revealed how he told Americans that Africa would have been more developed if left alone by the colonialists said "In the Old western region, we recorded many achievements. It was because good men were put in positions.

@blackboxupdate

Add BBN on 2BAFB965
A large crowd of protesters are currently matching in Abakaliki the Ebonyi state capital BlackBox Nigeria have been notified. Our correspondent who is on ground gathered that the protesters are moving against a plot to impeach the governor of the state, Chief Martins Elechi. The protect match is going on along old Enugu road to the government house. However, anti-combant Police Officers are seen mounting all roads and junction leading to the government house.
Most of the protestant are women who came out enmass in support of the embattled Governor.

The political hullabaloo of the state began following the selection of candidates of the ruling party during the last primary election. The governor was alleged to be supporting the former minister of health, Prof. Oyebuchi Chukwu as against the popular deputy Governor who claimed he had agreement with the governor to pass the baton of the state leadership to him after his own tenure.
It was further alleged that the governor reneged on his promise to his deputy which sprang the crisis up. Although the deputy, Daive Omahi latter emerged after the primaries, the governor's supporters and loyalists were force out of the party to the labour party.

BBN Correspondent further reports that the house of Assembly are currently holding a sitting which might also be on the matter!

@blackboxupdate

The verbal assaults between Femi Fani-Kayode, director of media and publicity for the PDP presidential campaign organisation, and members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) took a new turn on Monday.

Reacting to the criticisms directed at him for insinuating that Yemi osibanjo, the running mate to APC's presidential candidate, was planning to step down for Bola Tinubu, Fani-Kayode pointed accusing fingers at Tinubu over the death of Funsho Williams.

Funsho Williams, a gubernatorial candidate in Lagos, was murdered under controversial circumstances on July 27, 2006. ‎
"I do not believe in violence and I do not threaten people neither do any of my boys or any of those behind me," Fani-Kayode wrote on Facebook. "Tinubu should not start this. I am not Funso Williams. I cannot be killed like a chicken. I cannot be destroyed. I cannot be taken before my time.
"My name is Femi Fani-Kayode, and nobody can kill me before my time. Nobody can cut me short. "I harbor no fear of violence but I do not take threats lightly. Neither do I fear for my life; because I have never shed innocent blood and because I do not believe in violence or worship the devil, the angel of the Lord will strike dead any person or any group of persons that seek to take my life or the life of any of my loved ones."

@blackboxupdate

As part of arrangement to ensure the effectiveness of the Permanent Voters' Card (PVCs) Card Reader Machines, the Independent National Electoral Commission will now hold mock elections in 12 states before the presidential elections slated for March 28.

The 12 states have been selected from all the geopolitical zones in the country.

Disclosing this at the signing of a Peace accord by political parties held in Akure today, the Ondo State Capital, the State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mr. Segun Agbaje disclosed that Lagos and Ekiti have been selected for the mock elections and the event would come up this Saturday.

Agbaje explained that,‎
"at the mock elections, the commission would make use of the PVCs and card readers alone. It is to be displayed to the people and to also look at how effective the machines will work on the election day. There is no going back on the usage of PVCs. The Card readers if fully charged, can work up to 10 to 12 hours and we have back up machines for each unit and fully charged batteries.
"12 states have been selected for the mock elections and in South West, the mock elections will be conducted in Lagos and Ekiti States. This is to test the effectiveness of the machines before general elections".

The Resident Electoral Commissioner also added that 78.2 percent of the PVCs had been collected so far in the state.

@blackboxupdate

Add BBN on 2BAFB965‎‎

Wigan Athletic's Dave Whelan sas resigned as the chairman of the struggling English championship club, stating his advancing years as the major reason for his decision. It is however noteworthy that contrary to the reasons stated, pundits believes that the Football Association's £50,000 fine and six weeks suspension from all football activity slammed on the 78 years old for his "racist" comment against Chinese and Jews forced him to end his 20 years reign at the DW stadium.

In December 2014 the former Wigan Athletic chairman who has been in football for over 61 years was quoted at saying t was "nothing" to call a Chinese person a "chink" and stating that "Jewish people do chase money more than everybody else".

  To back up the assertion of several English journalist, we should explore the "farewell" speech giving by Whelan to sky sports news,  "That charge did hurt me, there's no question. It hurt me, it hurt my wife because we're not racist people in any way, shape or form. And when you are accused of being a racist, it seriously hurts you. "The FA came to the decision that I wasn't a racist, but they fined me £50,000 and banned me for six weeks. I could not understand what that was all about. If I'm not a racist why did I have to have those punishments?‎
"I had no intention of insulting anyone. I would never insult any race of people on the whole planet. What I really wanted to say… is I respect every race of people on the planet."
However, Dave Whelan still claims ownership of the club, but only handed over the chairmanship position to his 23 years old grandson David Sharpe to continue the job he start when he was just 3 years old. He also dismiss claims that he might consider selling the club by saying "Contrary to some suggestions, there are no plans to sell the club, which will remain in family hands and I have every confidence that David, along with chief executive Jonathan Jackson, will lead us forwards with wisdom.

Finally, it is is noteworthy that Wigan rose from the fourth tier of English football to the Premier League under Whelan's stewardship at the DW stadium.

@blackboxupdate

Add BBN on 2BAFB965‎‎‎

Lecturers of the Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti, have declared an indefinite strike over non-payment of their two-month salaries.

Academic activities at the school were paralysed on Tuesday as the lecturers stayed away from work.
Disappointed students who came for lectures were seen discussing the issue in hush tones.‎
The lecturers are being owed January and February salaries.

The Chairman Academic Staff Union of Universities, Prof. Olufayo Oluodo, said the academic staff had no option than to stay away from work because non-payment of their salaries had made life difficult for them.

Oluodo said when speaking to newsmen that,
"Our members have no money again to be  moving up and down, we are being owed two months and we have not been paid at all this year.
"We have made our position known to the university authorities and we have written  to the state government on the matter.
"We have met with the Deputy Governor to resolve the matter and another meeting with government has been slated for tomorrow."

There were indications that the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities and the Non-Academic Staff Union might also declare an indefinite strike to press home their demands for January and February salaries.
A source from the university said, "The ASUU is on strike, but we will like it if other unions join us too because they are also affected."
 

@blackboxupdate

Add BBN on 2BAFB965‎‎

A pregnant woman, Mrs. Mercy Chintua, has been arrested by the police in Enugu for pouring hot water on a neighbour.

Chintua was said to have accused the neighbour, Emmanuel Anyebe, of peeping at her while she was having her bath.

The incident happened on February 23 at Akwuke, Awkunanaw in Enugu State, where Chintua resides with her husband and where she poured hot water on the victim, Anyebe.

It was gathered that Anyebe was about to take his own bath when Chintua poured the hot water on him.

The victim was said to have sustained severe injuries as a result of the incident, and was taken to a hospital.

In her account to the police, Chintua said she took the action to punish Anyebe who saw her nakedness after peeping at her in the bathroom.

She said, "On that fateful day, as I was taking my bath, Anyebe peeped at on me while trying to gain access into the bathroom, and in the process, saw my nakedness."

Chintua, who said she was angered at the invasion of her privacy, later heated a pot of water and when it became boiled, she poured the contents on Anyebe.

She added that she was sorry for the injury, explaining that it was the handiwork of the devil.

Anyebe reportedly lost consciousness as a result of the excruciating pain, and was rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Anyebe also denied peeping on the woman.

He said, "It all happened as I wanted to enter the bathroom to take my bath, only to be stopped by Chintua, who wanted to take her bath first.

"I simply left after Chintua rushed into the bathroom to take her bath before I could do same."

He added that he went to the woman's husband to complain about the development, after which he went back to the bathroom to have his bath when Chintua had finished having her bath.

It was while Anyebe was taking his bath that Chintua poured the hot water on him.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Enugu State Police Command, Ebere Amaraizu, said Chintua was remorseful and had blamed her action on the devil.

He added, "The suspect is with us and has been helping the police in the investigations into the incident."

The police spokesman said the command had also arrested some suspects cultists along old Enugu Nsukka Road.

He added that a locally-made pistol was recovered from Ofor.

Also, operatives of the Special Anti-robbery Squad of the command have nabbed a notorious armed robbery suspect, Njoku Ikenna.

He explained that the suspect had been terrorising some parts of the state.

Amaraizu said a locally-made single-barrelled gun with three live cartridges was recovered from him.

He said all the suspects were helping the police in ongoing investigations into their crimes and would soon be taken to court.

@blackboxupdate

Ghana presidential jet caught fire on Tuesday at the Kotoka International Airport in the capital Accra.‎
Reports say the Falcon 900, slowed down and caught fire while attempting to take off.

A press statement issued by the Ghana Armed Forces and signed by the Director of Public Relations, Lieutenant Commander, Andy La-Anyane noted that "the fire was caused as a result of friction between the wheels and the runway surface".
He said the craft was on its way to Malabo, Equatorial Guinea on a mission.

The official statement from the Ghana Armed Forces said the crew experienced slight operational problems with the computer system as the craft taxied on the runway preparing to take off.

As a result, the statement said, "the aircraft returned to the Air Force Base in Accra to reset the computers."
It added that during the second attempt to take-off, the "aircraft lost two main left wheels."

Emergency procedures were followed and passengers were promptly disembarked.
It, however, was not revealed if pre-flight procedures were equally followed.
It is also not yet known who was on board when the incident occurred.

@blackboxupdate

Add BBN on 2BAFB965‎

The police in Bauchi have arrested one Salisu Salmanu, a nephew to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Bala Mohammed, who was alleged to have connived with his friends to kidnap his three-year-old younger brother at Kofar Idi in Bauchi and demanded a ransom of N10 million from his father. Connive
‎
Salisu Salmanu, 19, was arrested with his three friends, Imrana Abdullahi, 17, Abdullahi Mohammed, 19, and Umar Musa, 19, all residents of Kofar Idi area of the Bauchi metropolis.

Salmanu said they intended buying a car and spend the remaining money if they had succeeded.

The spokesman of the Bauchi State Police Command, DSP Haruna Mohammed, said police detectives attached to Township Division on February 28, about noon, arrested the four suspects who connieved with four others still at large to commit the crime.

According to him, "The suspects conspired with four others now at large and kidnapped one Abdulkadir Salmanu of Kofar Idi, took him to Gwallameji and demanded N10 million ransom from the parents.

"Victim was liberated by the police and efforts are ongoing to apprehend the other fleeing suspects after which they will be charged to court for prosecution."

In an interview with journalists, Salmanu said they intended buying a car with the money and also spend the remaining had they succeeded in getting the N10million from their father, Salmanu Mohammed, an elder brother to the FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed.

"Initially, when we planned the kidnap, I was advised that if we succeed in getting the N10million, we should buy a car and also have money left to be spending."

Asked if his father wasn't meeting his needs, he said: "Honestly, my father meets all my needs. He pays my school fees and every other thing I need.

"It is just greed and selfishness which the devil put in our hearts."

Salmanu said he is a student of the Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi.

"I have even missed two tests in school because I am here in police custody."

The 19-year-old mastermind of the kidnap said he prayed that God would expose all those who are into such dirty act.

"By God's grace, our hearts have totally changed since this is our first time of doing this, and we pray that God prevent a future re-occurrence," he said.

Also speaking, another suspect, Abdullahi Mohammed, said they had no intention of harming the boy.

"God loves us that was why He didn't give us success. We took the child not with the intention of harming him but so we could get money from his father and release him.

He added: "We demanded for N10million but the father said he would pay N3 million and we insisted it was too small. We finally agreed that he would pay N5 million.

"Honestly, if we had succeeded we wouldn't have returned the money but this would have been our last," Mohammed said.

@blackboxupdate

Students voting at the Faculty of Law

Add BBN on 2BAFB965‎

President Goodluck Jonathan has said that he will return to his Otuoke home in Bayelsa State, if by default, he loses the March 28 presidential election.

Jonathan, who said Nigeria is not his father's estate, was however optimistic that he "will not lose the election."‎
"If by default somebody wins the election, of course, I will go back to my village. The country is not my father's estate," he told the Quatar-based international television station, AlJazeera, on Monday night.
The President denied that he was scared of the All Progressives Congress and its Presidential candidate, Maj.Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, adding that he would win because he had performed well.

When asked what he made of the insinuations in some quarters that the sudden step-up of military operations in the fight against Boko Haram was because he was scared he might lose the election on the grounds of insecurity, he replied , "It is out of ignorance.
"In a political environment, if one party, particularly the ruling party, is going to the left, the opposition would have to go to the right. They must find something. They must have something to tell the people."

The President, however, explained that Boko Haram   insurgents were able to wreak havoc on parts of the country for long because the military   lacked certain weapons to confront them.

The President noted that with the procurement of modern weapons, the security agencies would rout the terror group soon.

He also denied that he mishandled the threat posed by the sect to the country and that the activities of the group did not start with his administration.

Jonathan, who reassured Nigerians that the rescheduled elections would not be postponed, said the security agencies had not promised to rout out Boko Haram completely before the   elections.

The President however explained that the military would degrade the insurgents to the level that they would no longer have the strength to disrupt the polls.

He said,"That is the key thing. In terms of taking over our territories by the sect,we will retake them and very soon, there will be no part of Nigeria where the insurgents will erect a flag and say this is a Boko Haram territory.
"That we will do but what I am saying is that even if you do that, that does not mean you are isolated from terror attack, but gradually with improvement in terms of technology and monitoring we will able to bring it down.
"When we take over all the territories they are holding, they are becoming weaker, now we will improve our monitoring using superior technologies to monitor their activities. We will begin to pick them and then of course, frustrate their activities. So over the period, it will go. We cannot live with terror. No, we can't. We will stop it."
He also dismissed the allegation by some APC senators that he was planning to remove the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission,   Attahiru Jega.

He told his interviewer that he had not even discussed   Jega's purported removal with anyone.
Jonathan said, "Except somebody is insinuating that the chairman has done something wrong. You cannot change an officer, except the person has done something wrong. Government, whether at the federal or state level, president or governor, does not wake up and change somebody, especially somebody like the INEC chairman; except that person has done something wrong.
"INEC is a very sensitive body. For me to change the INEC chairman, Nigerians and non-Nigerians will ask questions. So, you cannot wake up and change the INEC Chairman."

Jonathan also dismissed insinuations that corruption had worsened in the country under his Presidency.
The President specifically made reference to an allegation by a former Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Sanusi Lamido (the current Emir of Kano) that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation failed to remit N49.8bn to the national treasury between 2011 and 2012.
He accused him of blowing the issue of corruption out of proportion.
Jonathan said, "Even the corruption issues –even if you look at the Corruption Perception Index…yes, people talk about corruption now because it has become almost a political issue. And when you move something to the level of politics, of course normally the issue is blown out of proportion.
"Yes, we have cases of corruption but it's not as bad as people make it to be. Yes, we have cases of stealing; I always say it that, call a thief a thief. I am not staying that Nigeria doesn't have an element of corruption or stealing.
"Start from ex-CBN governor who said $48.9bn was missing. What is the budget of this country for God's sake? Our budget has been about N3.something trillion. That's roughly about $18 to $20bn a year.
"And someone is saying we lose N48.9bn. If we lost that huge amount both federal and state governments would not be able to pay salaries. I don't know how he came about that figure. The next thing was for him to reduce the figure. Up to this time I don't know which is the correct accusation."

@blackboxupdate

Add BBN on 2BAFB965‎

Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, has awarded a N1.2bn contract to the Carpenters and Furniture Association of Ekiti State.

The association on Monday evening signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the state government on the contract.

The Chief of Staff to Fayose, Chief Dipo Anisulowo, who represented the governor at the occasion, said the contract was part of the stomach infrastructure programme of Fayose.

Anisulowo said, "This is an empowerment project. We are awarding the furniture aspect of the Millennium Development Goals project to these local furniture makers. The project covers about six local government areas in Ekiti State, so they will make the chairs and the tables for all the schools in the six LGAs.‎
"The whole project would cost the government about N1.2bn. This gesture by the governor is the first of its kind in Ekiti State. The governor did this to make good his promise to empower local contractors and artisans in the state."

He appealed to the artisans to make good use of the opportunity.
"I hope you would not disappoint the governor because he has reposed a lot of confidence in you to have given you this project. I pray you will reciprocate his kind gesture by doing a very good job," he told the carpenters.

Chairman of the association, Michael Adeyemi, expressed gratitude to the state government on behalf of his members.

@blackboxupdate

Add BBN on 2BAFB965‎

Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), yesterday, said the current biting fuel situation in the country will end before the end of the week.

The NNPC Group Executive Director, Commercial and Investment, Aisha Abdulrahman, who gave the assurance in Abuja, said all queues at filling stations across the country would disappear before the end of this week.

Speaking when the Supervising Minister of Information, Chief Edem Duke, led a team of reporters on an on-the-spot assessment of the situation in the filling stations, Abdulrahman said the situation had been addressed, adding that the NNPC currently had adequate stock that could last between 20 and 30 days.

She urged filling stations to complement the NNPC retail outlets by selling petrol for 24 hours to clear the fuel queues across the country.

Abdulrahman discouraged speculation, panic buying and hoarding of fuel, saying the NNPC had flooded the country with petroleum products.

On his part, Duke took a swipe at the opposition political party, denying that there was fuel scarcity.

He said all the depots across the country were wet with fuel, but that the queues in the filling stations were due to speculation and panic buying.

He lambasted the opposition for cashing in on the fuel situation to score cheap political point, even as he assured that the Jonathan's administration would remain responsive to the welfare and economic well being of the citizenry.‎
"A good government cannot inflict scarcity on its people. It cannot bite its nose to spite its face, especially at a time when there is political tension.
"There is no government worth its onions that will say, rather than focus on strategies to win election, 'let us deprive the citizenry of adequate supply of petroleum products'.
"So, when people are sitting in Dubai and issuing statements that are unfounded, I think we, as the conscience of the nation, should know better," Duke said.

@blackboxupdate

Add BBN on 2BAFB965
With the debilitating fuel scarcity taking its toll on Nigerians nationwide, President Goodluck Jonathan has issued a directive to the Ministry of FINANCE to pay with immediate effect all outstanding subsidy claims to oil marketers.
This came as the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Major-General Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday expressed outrage at the energy crisis, and blamed Jonathan and past Nigerian leaders for failing to fix the refineries.

However, the Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of FINANCE, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, rejected claims that the long queues at petrol stations across the country were caused by the non-payment of outstanding subsidy claims to marketers, stating that the Debt Management Office (DMO) has issued N100 billion in Sovereign Debt Notes (SDNs) out of the outstanding N185 billion agreed upon with marketers as the next payment due to them.
She added that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has also given approval to the banks to open letters of credit (LCs) for oil marketers to facilitate the importation of petroleum products.

Sending out tweets from his Twitter handle, Buhari said present and past administrations had left Nigerians at the mercy of fuel importers by failing to fix the refineries.
He recalled that two of the four refineries in the country were built when he was petroleum minister in the late 1970s.
"The countless man hours that will be spent at petrol stations today, will reduce our productivity as a nation. This should not be so," Buhari tweeted.
"In my time as NNPC chairman and Petroleum Minister in the late 70s, two of our four refineries were built, and domestic consumption catered for.
"But over the last several years our refineries have declined, and we are at the mercy of imports.
"We must reject a system that has turned one of world's largest crude exporters into an importer of petrol. Things must change," he said.
Joining Buhari in his criticism of the federal government, his party APC, blamed the fuel scarcity across the country on the administration's failure to pay outstanding fuel subsidy claims and the cost of interest on bank loans to oil marketers, thus making it impossible for them to import refined products.

The party also alleged that the crisis in the energy sector could be traced to the looting of the $12 billion domestic gas fund under Jonathan's watch.
In a statement yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the PDP and the Jonathan administration decided to divert attention from those problems by accusing the opposition of being responsible for the scarcity, describing it as "a most laughable and irresponsible statement by a sitting government that is always so eager to blame everyone but itself for the nation's woes".
It recalled that the "self-styled Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Finance" had in February promised to pay all subsidies owed to the marketers then in the sum of N264 billion, along with the accrued interest.
APC said the failure to meet this obligation has made it impossible for the oil marketers, who are being owed heavily, to finance another round of products imports.
"The truth is that this profligate government has run Nigeria aground, and the oil sector, whether upstream or downstream, has particularly suffered hugely. The quantity of petroleum products that was imported has almost been fully consumed, without fresh products being brought in to augment supplies that have now fallen well below re-order level.
"The implication is that in addition to worsening power supply, crumbling prices of oil at the international market, weakening naira and unprecedented corruption, Nigerians - who routinely provide their own electricity to power their homes and business - now have to face another round of government-imposed hardship with the ongoing fuel
scarcity," the party said.
It said the fuel crisis would not have reached this stage had the $12 billion domestic gas project fund not been looted under Jonathan's watch.
"This is because, with the project being executed, many vehicles, cooking stoves and generators would have been converted to use gas to reduce the importation of petrol, diesel and kerosene, and gas would have been available to fire the gas turbines at power stations while more power would have been delivered to the national grid," the party added.
APC accused Jonathan of sabotaging the domestic gas project started by the late President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, with the $12 billion cash call provisions for gas development for domestic power generation looted under his (President Jonathan) watch.

However, Okonjo-Iweala, yesterday rejected the position of the APC, stating that long queues at petrol stations across the country were caused by the non-payment of outstanding subsidy claims to marketers.
The clarification came following claims by APC that marketers had held back supplies of petrol due to outstanding payment issues.
The minister, who spoke with journalists in her office, noted that contrary to some unfounded speculations, the queues were not related to payment issues.
According to her, the federal government was very concerned about the fuel queues, which have appeared in Lagos, Abuja and other parts of the country.
"As Nigerians can attest, the Petroleum Ministry and NNPC (Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation) have worked very hard to reduce them to the barest minimum fuel shortages.
"We sympathise with Nigerians whose lives are being disrupted by the queues and assure them that we are working hard to end them as quickly as possible.
"The situation is due to a mix of factors, including disruption of pipelines and logistical issues and they are being attended to urgently," he minister said.
She recalled that the marketers were paid a total of N320.8 billion from the Excess Crude Account (ECA) in two installments last December, underscoring the fact that the government is taking the payment of marketers very seriously.
The minister said she held a meeting with the marketers last week where assurances and commitments were made to pay the outstanding N185 billion.

According to her, an agreement was reached with the marketers' union to the effect that government will pay not only the costs they have incurred and their fees but also interest and FOREIGN EXCHANGE differentials.
She added that DMO has issued SDNs to cover N100 billion out of the outstanding N185 billion agreed with oil marketers as the next payment due to them, even as the central bank has also given approval to the banks to open LCs for oil marketers.
The minister thanked the marketers who had already cued into the opening of LCs and have been supportive of the government's commitment to ensure the availability of petrol and other petroleum products.
"It is clear that while the union and most members have been cooperative, some of their members are not. Some of these people have even refused to open LCs to facilitate their payments.
"We salute the union and the members who are working hard to end this unfortunate situation. As for those who are working in the other direction, Nigerians should ask them what their motives are," she said.

Okonjo-Iweala stated that to end the unfortunate situation as quickly as possible, the Petroleum Ministry and NNPC were taking strong action to improve supplies in the election season.
"I've been speaking with MOMAN (Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria) and they've assured me that they are working hard to increase supplies and more vessels are on the way," she said.
She disclosed that 40 million litres of petrol was distributed in Lagos yesterday, adding that as at Monday, 86 trucks came into Lagos and another 86 trucks headed to Abuja.
"Other parts of the country are also included in the plans. So the situation should improve soon. Once again, we wish to express our sympathy with Nigerians for this very unsatisfactory situation and salute their patience as we work hard to end the situation as soon as possible," the minister said.

Also, providing further insight into the causes of the fuels queues in the country, the Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) yesterday blamed the fuel shortage on the CBN's devaluation of the naira between November and February.

Speaking while defending the agency's budget before the Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream), Executive Secretary of PPPRA, Farouk Ahmed, told the committee that the devaluation caused huge confusion in the oil sector as the petroleum agency did not know the EXCHANGE RATE to be used for the importation of fuel.
In this regard, he said the marketers could not deliver the cargoes of fuel expected from them because they were not sure of the exact delivery cost as a result of the devaluation, explaining that the old template used for paying the marketers had been overtaken by events.
However, Ahmed who explained that PPPRA had to seek the advice of the CBN before it could eventually draw up a new template added that the crisis had eventually been resolved, as the Budget Office on Monday approved payment for outstanding bills that the marketers are being owed.
He also said the truce was brokered after a meeting of the Ministry of Finance, PPPRA and other relevant agencies.
"The recent events had to do with delay in the arrival of cargoes. Non-arrival of cargoes made it difficult for petrol to be delivered. What actually complicated it was the devaluation of naira - two times.
"The first one that took place on November 28 devalued the naira from N155 to N168 to $1. The second one that took place on February 18 brought the EXCHANGE RATE to N198 to $1.
"These two developments brought a lot of confusion into the oil sector. Marketers were not sure of the actual delivery cost. We had to draw a new template as advised by the CBN. The delay we have now is caused by the November devaluation. But the reality is that the policy is clear now.
"The Minister of Finance, PPPRA and other agencies are working closely to ensure that outstanding bills are paid. And that one has been done now. Yesterday, we got an approval from the Budget Office for payment of all outstanding bills. We have adjusted the template now. We have to put the EXCHANGE RATE at the interbank rate. Now, we have a direction," he said.

However, NNPC failed to appear before the committee to give its own side of the fuel scarcity story, prompting the committee chairman, Senator Magnus Abe, to read a riot act to the corporation.
He said: "We invited NNPC to come and defend their budget. They didn't show up. They don't even have the respect to give any response to the invitation.
"We are directing the clerk to re-invite the NNPC, Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Pipelines, Products and Marketing Company (PPMC) and all refineries.
"All of them must appear before this committee on Thursday. All of us have our roles in constitution. The letter should contain a strong warning that NNPC must never repeat this before the committee.
"NNPC has never agreed to bring their budget for discussion. This is the same problem we have every year. I'm disappointed that after we agreed on this issue last year, we are still back to it," Abe lamented.

Echoing Abe, Senator Danjuma Goje, said it was ridiculous that NNPC still had the audacity to ignore the committee's invitation despite "this acute shortage we have throughout this country. We know that NNPC has been spending money without appropriation.
"But then, courtesy demands that they honour our invitation. They are doing their work. We are also doing ours. With all the sad story of NNPC, they still have the guts to treat us with disrespect".

@blackboxupdate