17-12-09 The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) said that it has set in motion far-reaching measures aimed at squelching the perennial challenge of artificial fuel scarcity in the country both in the short and long term.
To eradicate the noticeable fuel queues in some Nigerian cities in good time for the fast approaching yuletide season, the Group Managing Director of NNPC, Dr Mohammed Sanusi Barkindo, has directed the management of the Pipelines and Product Marketing Company (PPMC), a subsidiary of the NNPC to increase the tempo of activities in the importation and distribution of petroleum products.

A statement from the corporation said the PPMC is fast-tracking the discharge of products from the 19 ships already berthing at the ports, while it has also placed orders for 12 more cargoes in lieu of the inability cum failure of 15 oil marketers to activate the fuel import licences issued to them some months back.
"The PPMC has also mobilised resources to facilitate seamless mobility of products from Lagos to other parts of the country especially the country side, due to expected influx of people during the yuletide," the statement added.

In the statement, Dr Levi Ajuonuma, Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division of the NNPC, blamed the petroleum product distribution challenge which became manifest in the last few weeks on a plethora of extraneous factors which include the recent strike by Petroleum Tanker Drivers in Abuja, inability of 15 oil marketers to import fuel after being issued import licences by the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency, PPPRA, disruptions brought by pipeline vandalism and the resort to panic buying by members of the public due to refusal of filling station owners/operators to dispense products from all nozzles because of the anticipation of the take off of the deregulation exercise.
"All these have contributed in no small way to the challenge we are facing," Ajuonuma explained.

The NNPC also announced the acquisition of 178 petroleum products retail outlets to augment the 38 NNPC Mega Stations and 12 Floating Filling Stations as part of its long term objectives to ease the challenge of artificial fuel scarcity. While assuring the public of adequate product supply for the Christmas and New Year festivities, the NNPC called on all well meaning Nigerians and the security agencies to be extra vigilant to prevent the ugly trend of pipeline vandalism which has become a regular occurrence every year end.
"What happened at Irepo Village along the Lagos/Ibadan Express Road is regrettable, but thank God the fire service people were able to put out the fire in good time. We must all rise up to this challenge," stated Levi Ajuonuma. "The initial directives from wherever it came from, start selling fuel to people as they demand because they can't join a long queue and then get little that won't last them."

Manager of Conoil filling station situated directly opposite the NNPC, Ibrahim Issah alleged that the PPMC gave instructions to them (marketers) not to sell more than N 2,000.
According to him, "PPMC told us that, if we sell full tank to drivers they will drive away and then siphon the fuel from their car to later join the queue. They said these people do so to enhance black market."

Some other filling station managers agreed with Kabiru that regulatory authorities gave them the directive to ration fuel and sell some to government. Adding, the Manager of the Total filling station at Area 11 junction Rilwan Kabiru condemned the rationing of fuel sales introduced by the NNPC which has caused the rampant queue in the FCT.
According to Kabiru, "The NNPC management ordered us not to sell more than N 2,000 fuel to drivers for the past 5 days now. We usually work for 24 hours daily but we were authorized to close 9 pm daily. Besides, as against the regular three tankers that supply us for almost a month now it has been only two. For selling N 4,000 fuel to a driver one of our staff was sacked."

The Minister got a shocker when he visited the NNPC mega filling station in Abuja, the station only had its manager Ahmed Sanni who said they did not get any supply that day from tankers claiming that they stopped selling only 30 minutes before the Minister's arrival.