The Nation

NNPC, MOMAN send out more fuel trucks to ease scarcity

February 29, 2016 7:00 pm

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) says it has stepped up collaboration with the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN) to end fuel queues in some major cities in the country.

This is contained in a statement signed by Ohi Alegbe, NNPC group general manager, group public affairs division, on Monday.

Alegbe also promised that the corporation would collaborate with other downstream industry players to end the resurgence of fuel queues in Lagos and environs.

He said the corporation had secured the commitment of the leadership of MOMAN for effective collaboration in this regard.

Alegbe assured that the queues would disappear in the days as supplies had been increased across the country.

To achieve this, he said the truck-out to filling stations in the Lagos area had been increased from the regular 245 to 295 trucks per day (9.7 million litres)

He added that truck-out to fuel stations in Abuja from Suleja depot had been stepped up to 210 trucks per day (6.9million litres) from the regular supply of 160 trucks.

He said “Similar increment in supply volume has been activated in the Port Harcourt, Calabar, Kano and Kaduna areas to ensure seamless availability of petroleum products in every nook and cranny of the country.”

Alegbe called for understanding and support from members of the public.

He promised the corporation would do everything possible to end the prevailing challenges experienced by motorists, commuters and the general public in accessing petrol, saying: “Within the last 48 hours we have received six cargoes of petrol (270 million litres) and beginning from March 1, we shall begin to receive one cargo of petrol every day (45 million litres).”

Alegbe said Ibe Kachikwu, minister of state for petroleum resources, had directed the full activation of an intra-ministerial joint monitoring task force.

He said this was to enforce compliance to laid down rules and regulations governing the supply and distribution of petroleum products.

Alegbe said the task force include officials of Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) and Pipelines and Products Marketing Company (PPMC).