NNPC, NUPENG, marketers allay fears of fuel scarcity at yuletide

Major stakeholders in the downstream sector of the petroleum industry have allayed fears of any fuel scarcity, nor strike in the build-up to yuletide, saying they would ensure a steady supply of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) – petrol for the period and even beyond.

According to them, they are joining hands with the government to remove all obstacles that may impede steady supply of fuel to Nigerians during the season.

They gave the assurance when Mele Kyari, group managing director, Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) visited Ijegun Egba Satellite Depot, Lagos, to assess the state of road infrastructure leading to the depot.

The NNPC chief, who said he was in the depot because respite had come through the palliatives depot owners, put in place by pulling together their resources to fix the road infrastructure. He said the result would be that there would be free movement of trucks from Ijegun to other locations throughout the country.

Around 18 million litres of PMS are loaded from the depots on a daily basis.

He said: “There would be wider engagement of all other stakeholders to put a permanent solution to the issue of road infrastructure around the depot. The stakeholders being engaged are the NNPC, Federal Ministry of Works, Lagos State government, and depot owners to make sure there is a lasting solution to this road problem.”

He stated that in the meantime the depot owners had done a good job and there was a palliative solution that would ensure that products were delivered throughout the country.

The NNPC helmsman explained that there was 2 billion litres of PMS in store for the country, which was enough beyond the yuletide. Because of the poor state of road networks truck owners under the Petroleum Truck Drivers (PTD) directed its member to suspend activities in the depot until something tangible was done by the government.

Their action resulted in locking up around 300 million litres of PMS, a situation that has made the truck drivers to now divert to depots in Apapa for loading thereby compounding the already congested Apapa roads.

“We are here because respite has come, the depot owners have been able to pull their resources together to put the road infrastructure in place through the Nigerian Army corps of Engineers, and the result would be that there would be free movement of trucks from this location to other locations throughout the country.

House of Representatives has also said it would do everything possible to support the NNPC and other stakeholders to ensure that there is robust supply of PMS during the yuletide.

Abdullahi Gaya, chairman, House Committee on Downstream Petroleum, who was at the depot, said the reason he was there was to see things for himself so that necessary  legislative actions could be taken to ensure uninterrupted supply of petrol in the country.

The National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), in stating its commitment to steady fuel supply, said it members were prepared to support the NNPC, and government in whatever efforts they were putting  in place.

Akporeha Williams, who spoke for the union, said the visitation of the NNPC boss was a good one and in the right direction, stating that having seen what the Nigerian Army Corps of Engineers had done on the road NUPENG members were assured they would be able to load products from the depot without any inhibition.

Chairman of depot association in Ijegun, Olujimi Debo, who is also the managing director of Embadeb Energy, said the combined capacity of the tank farm was around 600 million litres and that they load on the average between 16 and 20 million litres PMS every day.

He said he appreciated the current collaborative efforts between NNPC, Lagos State government and the depot owners to fix the roads, saying from the way things were going there would be full robust supply of PMS during the yuletide.