19 November 2015, Lagos – Oil marketers have promised to support measures put in place by the Federal Government to end the fuel crisis currently witnessed across the country in the next couple of days.
This was even as the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, stated that 37.97 million litres of fuel, comprising about 557 truckloads of the products were distributed to petrol stations across the country, Tuesday, November 17, 2015.
The statement by the NNPC in Abuja, said the marketers, at the end of a strategy session convened by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu to address the fuel situation, pledged in unison to end the fuel queues as soon as possible. The oil marketers in attendance at the meeting included members of the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria, MOMAN, Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association, DAPPMA and the Jetty and Petroleum Tank Farm Owners of Nigeria, JEPTFON.
Kachikwu urged the marketers to pick up the gauntlet and activate all necessary machinery and mechanism to guarantee unimpeded distribution of petroleum products across the country. While pledging to eliminate all bottlenecks to fast track the process, Kachikwu urged the oil marketers to see the initiative as a national call to action. “We have gotten DPR, PEF and PPPRA to be a bit more flexible with the rules to allow for more movement of trucks and products massively,” he said.
Speaking on behalf of MOMAN, Femi Olawore, Secretary General of the Association was emphatic that the majors are willing and ready to work with the Petroleum Ministry and the NNPC to restore normalcy to the fuel situation. “For us there is only one thing that we know how to do and that is to sell petroleum products in accordance with the law. For us it is just a matter of few days before we get to normalcy,” Olawore intoned.
He noted that MOMAN will never do anything that is against prevailing regulations on the supply and distribution of petroleum products.
Commitment of members
Dapo Abiodun, leader of the DAPPMA delegation pledged the commitment of his members to work towards the achievement of Federal Government’s objective in ensuring free flow of petroleum products across the country.
Chief Ifeanyi Uba, Chairman of JEPTFON while pledging the readiness of the petroleum tank farm owners to support the initiative, called for government assistance in clearing the perennial traffic carnage at the Apapa loading gantries.
In the area of fuel supply across Nigeria, the amount of fuel dispatched across the country represented a 0.8 per cent decline or 0.308 million litres less than the 38.278 million litres distributed to oil marketers across the country on Monday. Giving a breakdown of supply in its ‘Fuel Dispatch Report to Filling Stations,’ the NNPC stated that 5.74 million litres of fuel was dispatched to petrol stations from the Suleja depot; 1.514 million was dispatched from the Kaduna depot, Kano depot gave out 3.87 million litres while Gusau depot sent out 1.589 million litres.
Mosimi, Satellite and Ilorin depots dispatched 4.33 million litres, 2.55 million litres and 0.585 million litres respectively, to oil marketers; Ore depot sent out 0.427 million litres; while Ibadan and Gombe depots dispatched 1.107 million litres and 2.395 million litres respectively. Others are: Enugu depot – 2.933 million; Makurdi depot – 1.58 million; Port Harcourt depot – 0.033 million litres among others.
In other words, the report stated that 154 trucks were dispersed to petrol stations in Abuja and environs from the Suleja depot; 38 trucks, 84 trucks and 39 trucks were dispatched from the Kaduna, Kano and Gusau depots respectively. Others are: Mosimi depot – 125 trucks; Ilorin depot – 74 trucks; Ore depot – 11 trucks and Ibadan depot – 32 trucks.
Meanwhile, the fuel crisis situation continued yesterday, with long queues still visible in most petrol stations in Abuja. However, almost all the petrol stations were dispensing the product, obviously, for fear of sanctions, following the warning of the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources and Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Mr. Ibe Kachikwu.
- Vanguard
