Akere Muna criticises government’s poor management of the fuel crisis

Akere Muna, a former Cameroonian presidential candidate, has criticised the government of Cameroon for its inability to handle the fuel crisis that has recently affected the country.

He reacted in a post on his official Twitter platform (Now X) handle on Wednesday, December 13, 2023.

The Cameroonian lawyer, who is currently a member of the African Union High-Level Panel on Illicit Financial Flows from Africa, expressed sadness over citizens’ riots at gas stations in the post.

Vehicle and motorcycle owners in major cities in Cameroon have recently caused unprecedented demand at filling stations as they scramble for fuel amidst a prevailing fuel scarcity.

The issue that initially manifested as an isolated problem in the town of Bafoussam has now spread to other urban centres, including the country’s two biggest cities, Douala and Yaounde, leaving citizens grappling with long queues and surging transportation costs.

In the post, Akere Muna lamented that the government lacks strategic reserves to manage the four days of shortage.

“Since 2019, there have been proposals for the reconstruction and updating of the SONARA refinery,” Akere Muna stated, referring to my investigations.

He emphasised the need to eliminate corruption in the oil sector. He believes that establishing a transparent system is the only way to reduce corruption in the oil industry. Akere Muna stated, “All information about purchases and sales in this sector must be accessible to citizens of this country.”

Today, on December 11, 2023, we made a communiqué public. Minister Eloundou Essomba stated the reasons for the shortage and promised a timely return to normalcy.

He said that the scarcity originated from… unfavourable weather-oceanological conditions caused a delay in the arrival of three ships carrying the said product. These conditions interrupted the ship-to-ship loading of the said ships for four days at the hub port of Lome.

Despite the government assuring that they would remedy the situation on Tuesday, December 12, 2023, the crisis has not yet been resolved.

Mimi Mefo Info