Buhari summons NNPC boss Baru over fuel scarcity

President Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday night summoned the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Maikanti Baru to Aso Villa, Abuja over the lingering scarcity of petrol across the country.

The presidential Twitter handle stated that “The President is very concerned about the situation and all efforts are going into a speedy resolution”, and promised to give an update on the situation.

Baru on his part assured that the corporation is working to redress the situation and elevate the hardship being faced by Nigerians as a result of the fuel scarcity at this Yuletide period.
He said “I’m reassuring Nigerians that we have over 20 days petrol sufficiency. Queues will be resolved soon, as distribution intensifies. There are challenges with marketers hoarding, that is being dealt with as well”.

The NNPC in a statement by its Group General Manger, Group Public Affairs Division, Ndu Ughamadu stated that Nipco Plc, a major Downstream operator which the NNPC cited as one of the six major marketers which benefitted from NNPC cargo supplies, has confirmed the Company’s receipt of the Products from the Corporation.

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Nipco, in a release Friday evening by its Chief Corporate Affairs Manager, Alh. Lawal Taofeek, said 24 hour-loading of trucks had begun in earnest at the Company’s depot in Lagos.

The Nipco’s statement said the trucks were being dispatched to all parts of the country with immediate effect.

NNPC again urged Nigerians to remain calm and not to engage in panic buying, as the end of the hiccup has come.

“Appropriate sanctions, by the security agencies working together with industry regulators, await any Marketers that may risk engaging in hoarding.

“The six major marketers that recently received consignments of NNPC petrol imports and are trucking them round the clock to all parts of the Country are: Total, Forte Oil, Oando Plc, MRS, 11 Plc and Nipco Plc.

“The supplies are mostly from Cargoes of PMS imported to by NNPC which are daily berthing and immediately being made to discharge their products to stem the supply hiccups.

“The imported products are also being supplemented by supplies from the local refineries”, the statement said.

Earlier in the week, NNPC GMD, Dr. Baru, had stated that the Corporation’s 1billion litres PMS cargo imports had started to arrive, saying supplies to parts of the country had been doubled to 80million litres per day since the current hiccup in the supply chain was noticed a few days back.

 

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