NNPC Moves To Check Fuel Scarcity

In a bid to end the current fuel scarcity in some parts of
the country, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) said it had
increased daily loading of petroleum products by trucking following the damage
of system 2B distribution pipeline at Arepo in Ogun State.

Attributing the
recent scarcity of petrol experienced in major parts of the south from Lagos to
IIorin and beyond to this damage, Mr Fidel Pepple, NNPC’s spokesman said in a statement
that the move was part of measures to end the scarcity witnessed in these
areas.

Pepple said daily supply of products to marketers have
increased as follows: folawiyo tank farm from 150 to 250 trucks; MRS from 100
to 200 trucks; Capital Oil increased to 300 trucks; AITECO and NIPCO 100 and 70
trucks respectively.

“The current scarcity was due to shut down of system 2B, a
major pipeline that evacuates between 9 to 11 million litres of fuel from Lagos
to Ibandan, Ilorin, and the North due to vandalism by oil thieves some weeks
ago”, he noted.

Consequent upon this, the corporation had to resort to
products distribution by trucking he explained and assured that “NNPC has
stepped up fuel supply to marketers and distributors for effective and
efficient supply of fuel”.

He also said just as bridging to the North had been beefed
up, fuel delivery and supply to Port Harcourt, Aba and Calabar depots were also
being augmented.

On the vandalism of Arepo pipeline where three NNPC
engineers were also killed, the corporation’s spokesman said NNPC was
collaborating with security agencies to repair the pipeline so as to restore
normal fuel supply to the areas affected.

According to him the safety and security of oil pipelines
were the collective efforts of all citizens and enjoined Nigerians to be on the
alert and contribute to make oil installations
in the country safe and secure.

In another development the Pipelines and Products Marketing
Company (PPMC) has increased petroleum products supply to private depots to ease
distribution challenges in the country.

Mr Nasir Imodagbe, Manager, Public Affairs and External
Relations disclosed this in an interview in Lagos recently.

He said that the PPMC had also increased the allocation of
five private depots from 100 trucks to 300 trucks daily.

The manager said that two new private depots had also been
engaged to distribute 200 to 300 trucks of petrol to coastal areas such as Port
Harcourt and Aba, as well as to the Northern part of the country.

“We have increased petrol supply to Capital Oil and Gas
Industries Ltd, MRS Oil and Folawiyo Energy from 100 trucks a day to 300 trucks
to ease distribution challenges.

“ We also engaged new private depots to commence
distribution of about 250 to 300 trucks of petrol on daily bases to the coastal
areas,’’ he said.

Imodagbe, who assured that the country had sufficient
petroleum products, however, identified vandalism of the system 2B network at
Arepo as the major problem inhibiting distribution of the products.

“We have sufficient products, but we are having distribution
challenges in getting the products to other states and final destination.

“Another constraint facing the distribution is that it is
only NNPC that is supplying petrol to the market, no marketer is importing and
supplying to the market,’’ he said.

The spokeman said “for now, nobody can go into the
vandalised pipeline area to commence repairs without adequate security and
assurance.

“We have to beef up security and assured workers before
anything can be done in the place.

“In the interim, we have provided adequate measures to see
that petrol flood all the states without any delay”, he said.

Vivian-Peace Nwinaene