Stakeholder Wants Marketers To Import Fuel

The Chief Executive of Metib Oil and Gas Ltd. Mr Adewumi Ilori, on Tuesday advised the Federal Government to allow both the major and independent marketers to import petrol.

Ilori said that scarcity of petrol would persist if the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) remained the only importer of petrol into the country.

“‘Scarcity will continue in Nigeria because the NNPC alone cannot meet the demand for fuel in Nigeria,” he said in a telephone interview with newsmen.

“The time is ripe to bring to bear the full policy thrust behind government’s public-private partnership initiative to surmount our current petroleum products scarcity.

“It is clear now that it is such conscious collaboration that will make petrol readily available to Nigerians,“ he said.

Ilori said that the problems associated with distribution of the product across the country would reduce if petrol marketers were importing fuel too.

Ilori said that the strain on the depots would also reduce.

“The delay in lifting petrol from the depots contributes to the long queues of cars at filling stations,” he said.

Ilori said that early passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) would facilitate early lifting of crude oil from new oil wells discovered in some states.

He said that the PIB would encourage more business men to invest in the nation’s oil and gas sector.

“We hear that crude oil has been discovered in Niger, Sokoto, Lagos and Ondo States.

“For optimal enjoyment of such discoveries, the Federal Government should hasten the passage of PIB,“  he said.