FUEL SCARCITY: NNPC MAKES AN APOLOGY TO NIGERIANS

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, yesterday, apologised to Nigerians for the hardship experienced in purchasing petrol, while it also stated that it had entered into a partnership with security agencies in the country to assist in the monitoring of fuel supply across the country.

He said:

  “We must all make sure that petroleum products get across to Nigerians at the regulated price especially as the yuletide season approaches. We have enough products and we want to plead with the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTDs) not to be involved in the diversion of petroleum products in order to avoid causing untold hardship to motorists.”

Role of the security agencies

Providing insight on the role of the security agencies in curbing product diversion, Managing Director of the Pipelines and Products Marketing Company, Mrs. Esther Nnamdi-Ogbue, said the DSS and EFCC have been mobilized to bring to book any marketer involved in sabotaging the efforts of the Federal Government in making petroleum products available to motorists across the country.

She said:

“We have invited the EFCC and DSS to join us in this campaign of monitoring the movement of petroleum products and they have our mandate to sanction any errant marketer. Enough is enough.”

She urged Nigerians and other motorists to desist from panic buying assuring that there are sufficient petroleum products to satisfy local consumption.

Meanwhile, giving  breakdown of fuel supplied to petrol stations, the NNPC stated that Suleja, Kaduna, Kano, Minna, Gusau, Mosimi and Satelite depots dispatched 7.398 million litres, 0.937 million litres, 4.4 million litres, 0.444 million litres, 0.939 million litres, 4.351 million litres and 1.937 million litres respectively.

In addition Ore, Ibadan, Gombe, Benin, Warri, Port Harcourt, Aba, Makurdi and Enugu dispatched 0.338 million litres, 0.412 million litres, 3.024 million litres, 0.318 million litres, 0.318 million litres, 3.097 million litres, 0.298 million litres, 0.891 million litres and 1.737 million litres respectively to petrol stations across the country.