The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd. (NNPC) has assured that there was over 1.6 billion litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) available for nationwide distribution.
The NNPC Group Managing Director, Malam Mele Kyari, gave the assurance at the official unveiling of the Association of Distributors and Transporters of Petroleum Products (ADITOP) in Abuja on Thursday.
Kyari, who was represented by the Group Executive Director, Downstream, NNPC, Mr Adeyemi Adetunji, said “NNPC as of today has 1.6 billion litres of PMS, which is about 27 days sufficiency.
“This is to assure Nigerians again that there is adequate supply of PMS and it is getting to all nooks and crannies of the country. We will continue to ensure that we facilitate the availability of PMS.
“I appreciate all Nigerians for all the patience and cooperation as we get back to normalcy in terms of petroleum products distribution in the country.
“After the challenge we had in January and the global environment for energy got worsened with the crisis in Ukraine and Russia, NNPC will do its best to alleviate the plight of Nigerians,” he said.
He noted that the company has been working with relevant stakeholders in the oil and gas industry to put palliatives and continue to ensure that there is free flow of PMS in all areas of the country.
“We are working with the authority, we are working with the Nigerian Association of Transport Owners and Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD), now we are going to work with ADITOP to ensure we create normalcy to the situation,” he said.
Also speaking, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, called on stakeholders in the industry to make petroleum products available for citizens.
Sylva, who was represented by the Director of Human Resources in the ministry, Mr. Famous Asiegbu, said the ministry would continue to offer the association the needed support.
The President of ADITOP, Alhaji Lawan Dan-Zaki, said the Petroleum Industry Act, if implemented properly and selflessly, could serve as a standard for national resource management.
“Nigeria has a wealth of natural resources with petroleum playing a major role in the economy.
“Unfortunately, in the Nigerian economy, the distribution of petroleum products is plagued by complex issues resulting in product outages, inflated costs, and disagreements over the product’s pump price,” Dan-Zaki said.
He said ADITOP is poised toward working with all the key players in the industry to tackle the challenges.
In his goodwill message, President Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Mr. Chinedu Okoronkwo, said the unveiling of the association is a new road map for the oil and gas industry.
Okoronkwo decried that prior to the coming up of ADITOP marketers had no association that could aggregate the activities of truck ownership.
“We are in a season that we are losing members because those not in the business have hijacked our business.
“With the collaboration with ADITOP, there will be no more strike where people will lock NNPC depot. All these excesses would be checked,” Okoronkwo said.
– NAN