The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd (NNPC) on Tuesday met with marketers and security operatives over the prevailing petrol scarcity and price hike just as the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor, threatened alternative action if the crisis is unresolved.
Most independent outlets now sell for over N300 per litre as against the N195/l approved recently for marketers.
Speaking during the meeting at NNPC Towers Abuja, the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC, Mele Kyari, said pricing was an issue and not petrol supply as NNPC has over 800 million litres of petrol on sea and over 700m litres on land across retail outlets, sufficient for 30 days.
He said, “We do have 24 day sufficiency for AGO (diesel) and the aviation we have 45 days of stuffiness for ATK aviation fuel,” adding that there is fuel in every depot and evacuation is ongoing.
Kyari revealed that petrol smuggling is on the rise as over 67m litres of petrol has been evacuated daily but the crisis has prevailed.
The NNPC head also blamed the marketers saying they did not follow the official petrol price rate at the depots and increased prices arbitrarily as some depots sell from N172 to N260/l above the agreed price, saying the marketers cannot buy at that rate and sell at the official rate.
The Authority Chief Executive, Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Farouk Ahmed, confirmed there were several pacts with the marketers and transporters but such pacts have not been followed through.
“But again, the more we agree, the more you lift the lever. We cannot continue like that.”
FG may take alternative action – CDS
CDS Irabor, warned of alternative action. “It’s a crisis of internal nature which security and police should lead but if it gets above that, there is an alternative.
“If there is no solution, let me reiterate that the government is not handicapped and there is an alternative and we pray that we don’t get to the level where the alternative will be activated,” Irabor said.
The Inspector General of Police Usman Alkali Baba said the problem is in distribution and urged operators for increased monitoring of the process.
“I think it is our role to assist the NNPC in monitoring the process of distribution if that will help us leverage the problem.”
Chairman of the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MoMAN) Adetunji Oyebanji, urged members to work to ensure products are supplied at the official rate.
Chairman of the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN), Mrs Winifred Akpani, urged NNPC to only deliver products to depots (members) that will supply the right way, alleging that DAPPMAN does not regulate depot owners who are non-members.
“We have all determined to ensure that we can help where we can help,” adding that profiteering is causing many problems to the country.
President, Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Comrade Williams Akporeha, said marketers have no right to increase the price because petrol is subsidized.
“Our position at NUPENG is that any depot or filling station that sells above the price must have the wrath of Nigerians to face.”
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