ABUJA — The Department of Petroleum
Resources, DPR; Nigerian National Petroleum
Corporation, NNPC, and its downstream
subsidiary, the Pipelines and Products Marketing
Company, PPMC, yesterday assured Nigerians that
the ongoing fuel scarcity will thin out in the next
couple of days.

This was even as the fuel crisis continued
unabated across the country as majority of the
fuel stations remained shut, while motorists
struggled to purchase the commodity from the few
petrol stations that were selling.

The DPR blamed the scarcity on a shortfall in fuel
supply, stating that over the last couple of days,
product lifting to the FCT had dropped
significantly compared to actual demand.

Speaking in an interview with Vanguard, Mr.
Mohammed Saidu, Head, Public Relations, DPR,
Abuja, blamed the scarcity partly on the strike
embarked upon by the Nigerian Association of
Road Transport Owners, NARTO and Petroleum
Tanker Drivers, PTD, stating that despite the
fact that the strike had been called off, it will
take between seven to eight days for supply to
stabilize.

Saidu further stated that the DPR had constituted
a task force to enforce the sale of the product to
motorists and also to eliminate sharp practices.
He said: “The function of the taskforce is to
ensure that the limited quantity supplied to the
FCT is sold to motorists. Though, we get reports
that most petrol stations are engaged in illegal
activities at night, due to the fact that the
taskforce do not work at night. We hope to deal
with such cases decisively.”

He expressed optimism that fuel supply to the FCT
will improve in the next couple of days, projecting
a rise in fuel supply to meet actual demand by next
week.

According to him, fuel import has improved, adding
that the only challenge is in the lifting of the
products from the depots.

We have 31 days fuel supply — NNPC, PPMC
Also, the NNPC and the PPMC stated that they
have 1.2 billion litres of premium motor spirit
(PMS) otherwise known as petrol, in stock.

The quantity, according to a statement by Mr. Ohi
Alegbe, Group General Manager, Group Public
Affairs Division, NNPC, translates to 31 days
sufficiency going by the 40 million daily
consumption of the product in the country.
Managing Director of the PPMC, Prince Haruna
Momoh, further stated that 21 additional vessels
laden with petroleum products are offshore Lagos
waiting to berth.

He said the NNPC had made adequate
arrangements to ensure energy sufficiency in the
country and reassured motorists that the
noticeable queues at the filling stations would
thin out in the days ahead.

Momoh noted that the NNPC has 21 days
sufficiency of Automative Gas Oil (AGO) otherwise
known as diesel and 18 days sufficiency of Dual
Purpose Kerosene (DPK) otherwise known as
kerosene.

He announced that as part of efforts to ensure
petroleum products sufficiency and distribution,
the NNPC embarked on aggressive Reception
Depots rehabilitation in 2011, adding: “As at
today, 18 depots out of the 23 depots have been
fully recovered with the exception of Makurdi,
Yola and Maiduguri due to the activities of
pipeline vandals.”

N41bn lost to pipeline vandalism in 2014

Momoh further stated that the corporation
suffered petroleum products losses worth N40.8
billion through pipeline vandalism in 2014,
stressing that no business could survive such a
loss and still remain a going concern.

Momoh noted that there was a marginal increase
in pipeline vandalism, stressing that in 2013, the
corporation recorded 3517 vandalized points but
in 2014 the figure increased to 3774.

He observed that as at today, 97 pipeline vandals
are undergoing prosecution and regretted that
since the cases started a few years ago none of
the accused persons has been convicted for
economic sabotage.

He called on Nigerians from all walks of life,
especially those living in communities where the
pipelines run through, to protect the pipelines in
the national interest.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/05/fuel-crisis-ends-in-days-dpr-nnpc-ppmc-assure/

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Oya wait make I comment cos dis na front page material. Ok I don comment. Thank you