Blame party executives for diversion of premix fuel’ - NICFC Chairman

Chairman of the National Inland Canoe Fishermen Council (NICFC), Mr Jacob Tetteh Ageke, has accused political party executives within the various constituencies in the country of masterminding the want on diversion of premix fuel meant for fisher-folks for the past eight months.

Speaking on Citi FM in Accra, Mr Ageke disclosed that these party executives profit hugely from the mismanagement of the distribution of premix fuel.

He claimed that local executives of whichever political party was in power or persons who claimed to have contributed to that party’s ascension to government, take possession of the fuel meant for fisher-folks and sell it at exorbitant prices. “We [fishermen] have been thrown out, the moment government changes the pre-mix fuel is taken and given to party chairmen and businessmen.

One person could come and say that they supported President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to come into power so they are going to take over the pre-mix fuel and they indeed do so.

There are communities that have no outboard motors which are taking pre-mix fuel. “…the fishermen are not diverting the pre-mix fuel. It is the fuel dealers in Ashaiman and other places, party chairmen and foot-soldiers who are not fishing and have taken over the pre-mix fuel.

It happened in National Democratic Congress (NDC) regime and it is happening more in New Patriotic Party (NPP) regime,” Mr Ageke claimed. He pointed out that “The fishermen have turned to NPP because President Akufo-Addo said that when he becomes President, he would give pre-mix fuel to fishermen to handle, but that has not happened.” He stated that “The party chairmen take it and sell it wherever they will make more money. The pre-mix business is one of the booming businesses in this country.

A gallon of pre-mix fuel is sold between Gh¢7.20 and Gh¢7.50.” Mr Ageke’s comment follows revelations by the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) that that huge amount of pre-mix fuel meant for fisher-folk, loaded from the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR), had been diverted for the past eight months. According to him, it was unfair for the inland fishermen to be singled out for blame, when in most cases they don’t even receive the fuel allocated to them. “I don’t agree totally [that the diversion is only happening inland].

The diversion is happening across the country. The pre-mix is for fishermen, and they are supposed to handle it, but the diversion is happening in Ashaiman. Ghanaians are at risk because when they go to the fuel station, they don’t know what they are buying. There is diversion inland and along the marine as well,” he said. “For the inlands, where I represent, to be singled out is unfortunate. We the inland fishermen didn’t create the problem, the pre-mix is for us and we have to handle it.”

Meanwhile, Today has gathered from the NPA’s series of letters that from January 2017 to October, for instance, about 200 premix fuel consignments loaded from the Tema Oil Refinery, were not delivered to the intended destinations indicated on the invoices and returns of the Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs.)