17 September 2013, Lagos – The Pipelines and Products Marketing Company, PPMC, a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, has commenced the process of upgrading some of its rehabilitated depots from analogue to digital loading meters with Warri, Aba and Calabar Depots completed out of 21 depots across the country.
The move, which is part of the efforts of the various stakeholders in the downstream to sustain the current stability in the supply of petroleum products has also led to the completion of the repair of the Port Harcourt- Aba, Warri-Benin and Jos-Gombe pipeline networks to ensure the pumping of products to the depots in those areas.
Commenting on the recent rehabilitation of the Benin depot to boost availability of products in the Niger Delta, the President of the Niger Delta Youths for National Change (NDYNC), Mr. Sufuyanu Ikharo, in a statement at the weekend commended the PPMC for rehabilitating other depots in other parts of the country, especially Gombe, Makurdi, and Minna depots, which were out of service for over 10 years.
He noted that some other depots that had been moribund for seven years had also been repaired, especially the Benin depot, which he said made lives difficult for the residents of Benin and its neighbouring communities.
Ikharo lauded the PPMC for upgrading Warri, Aba and Calabar Depots to digital loading meters.
He also cited the inauguration of the liquefied petroleum gas, LPG, butanisation plants at Ibadan, Kano, Gusau, Enugu and Gombe as one of the recent positive steps taken by the PPMC.
Ikharo stressed the need for Nigerians to recognise excellence and performance of institutions just as it was also vital to criticise and condemn government institutions that failed to deliver on their core mandates.
“We also understand the PPMC has tackled the notorious System 2B Pipeline, stretching from Atlas Cove in Lagos to Ilorin in Kwara State. It is only a focused leadership that can achieve these feats in so short a time,” he said.
However, several months after it restored its System 2B pipeline network, which pumps petroleum products from Atlas Cove Depot in Lagos to other depots in the south west part of the country, the only product being pumped into this network is petrol.
Under System 2B, which is the most active pipeline network in the country, petroleum products are pumped through pipelines from Atlas Cove to the NNPC depots in Ejigbo in Lagos; Mosimi in Ogun State; Ore in Ondo State; Ibadan in Oyo State and Ilorin in Kwara State.
It was however gathered that diesel and kerosene have not been pumped from Atlas Cove to Ibadan, Ore and Ilorin Depots.
The NNPC restored normal distribution of petroleum products in system 2B network, after it repaired the vandalised pipeline at Arepo in Ogun State and the vandalised Ije-Ododo pipeline in Ojo Local Government Area of Lagos State.
But the corporation, it was learnt, could only pump petrol from Atlas Cove to Ejigbo, Mosimi, Ibadan and Ore for tankers to lift the product from these areas, a situation that has led to increasing cost of other products due to inadequate supply.
– This Day
