Fuel Scarcity: NNPC Begins Loading At Depots To Clear Queues

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited said it had started loading trucks at all of its depots to alleviate the country’s current scarcity.

It went on to say that there was currently 1.7 billion litres of gasoline in stock.

Malam Mele Kyari, the NNPC’s Group Managing Director, told journalists in Abuja on Wednesday after a meeting with the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers and Petrol Tanker Drivers.

Read Also:  APC Govs Meet With Buhari, Confirm March 26 Convention Take Place

The Depot and Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria and the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria were also present at the meeting.

Because of the persistent queues in the nation’s capital and other parts of the country, and fewer stations dispensing the product, Kyari said the additional fuel would help alleviate the situation.

“At the moment, we have over 1.7 billion litres of PMS in our possession, both on land and in the sea.”

“We now have the capacity to load out excessively from all depots,” says the company. We’ve put in place procedures to ensure that all depots can load 24 hours a day.

“This will ensure that the scarcity created by panic buying is now alleviated, allowing normalcy to return to filling stations. “In situations like this, people typically go to the gas stations and buy more than they need, and this is what additional supply will alleviate. “I am confident that we will see relief on this very soon,” he said.

Neither the Federal Government nor the NNPC, according to Kyari, have any plans to raise the price of gasoline at the pump.

He urged marketers to make sure that they are selling gasoline at the government-approved price.

Following the meeting, the stakeholders agreed that the NNPC should impose necessary sanctions on any marketer found selling gasoline above the approved price, including refusal to sell PMS to stations or depots.

He also stated that the NNPC would impose any legal sanctions on any defaulting depot owner in order to ensure that Nigerians continue to purchase the product at the approved price.

Read Also:  Ukraine: FG Gives Conditions For Evacuating Nigerians

He, on the other hand, expressed regret for the suffering Nigerians were going through at gas stations and urged consumers to avoid panic buying and only buy what they need at gas stations.