• Thursday, March 28, 2024
businessday logo

BusinessDay

Buhari sets up c’ttee to tackle supply, petroleum products

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday, ordered the Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), Sani Haruna, to immediately hand over to the most senior officer in the organization.

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the constitution of a 14-man steering committee on petroleum products supply and distribution management to find lasting solution to disruptions in the supply and distribution of petroleum products.

The committee, which will be chaired by Buhari, has the minister of state for petroleum resources, Timipre Sylva as alternate chairman.

Sylva, in a statement by his senior adviser, media and communications), Horatius Egua said the committee would among other things ensure transparent and efficient supply and distribution of petroleum products across the country.

To further ensure sanity in the supply and distribution across the value chain, Sylva directed the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) to ensure strict compliance with the government approved ex-depot and retail prices for PMS.

Read also: Petroleum engineers seek to turn technical papers into practical solutions

The minister also directed the NMDPRA to ensure that NNPC Limited, which is the supplier of last resort, meets the domestic supply obligation of PMS and other petroleum products in the country.

He further directed that the interests of the ordinary Nigerian is protected from price exploitation on other deregulated products such as Automative Gas Oil (AGO), Dual Purpose Kerosene (DPK) and Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG).

“The Federal Government will not allow misguided elements to bring untold hardship upon the citizenry and attempt to discredit the government’s efforts in consolidating the gains made thus far in the oil and gas sector of the economy,” he said.

Other terms of reference are to ensure national strategic stock management, visibility on the NNPC Limited refineries rehabilitation programme and ensure end-end tracking of petroleum products, especial PMS to ascertain daily national consumption and eliminate smuggling.