In light of the current difficult circumstances, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited stated that fuel stations will be operating extended hours for the purpose of supplying and distributing gasoline. According to the corporation, Premium Motor Spirit trucking’s turnaround time has also been extended to alleviate the current problem.
This was said on Monday in Abuja by Dapo Segun, the Executive Vice President of NNPC Ltd.’s downstream division, during a joint station inspection by the company and representatives of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority. According to the News Agency of Nigeria, in an effort to guarantee that lines vanish, the NNPC and the NMDPRA started working together to supervise the distribution and supply of petrol stations in the Federal Capital Territory and throughout the nation.
According to NNPC, the recent thunderstorms caused a disruption in the ship-to-ship fuel transfer between mother vessels and daughter vessels, which led to gasoline lines in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and other parts of the country. It said that bad weather, such as thunderstorms and lightning, had also interfered with truck load-outs, berthing at jetties, and product transit to filling stations, causing logistical problems for station supplies.
Speaking during the inspection, Segun stated that there was a gap in the PMS discharge from ship to shore. He defined PMS as a volatile liquid and added that ship-to-shore movement had to be suspended during thunderstorms in order to prevent its discharge.
“We had to halt all of that during thunderstorms due to safety concerns, which is why you are seeing this tightness. This also hindered the loading of trucks at the depot. “Even though the poor quality of some of the nation’s motorways caused by rain and flooding presents a challenge, we will make sure that we load out during the weekend and that we mobilize trucks.
“Marketers are working together and sharing stocks, and instead of having a station with more trucks, they can release those trucks to other stations for circulation,” he added. “We are getting fuel stations to run longer hours.”
According to Mr. Ogbugo Ukoha, Executive Director, Distribution Systems, Storage and Retailing Infrastructure, NMDPRA, the bad weather that impacted truck routes and operations offshore was the cause of the congestion in Abuja and other areas of Lagos. In response to a question concerning its efforts to put an end to hoarding and the illicit operations of black marketeers, Ukoha stated that its representatives were physically inspecting the stations and depots to ensure that no hoarding was occurring.
There might be some people who try to take advantage of the shortage of supplies. He declared, “We guarantee Nigerians to go about their businesses and buy the volume they need without panic.” Regarding any intended or projected strategy to raise fuel pump prices, Ukoha stated that there was none and that the two organizations will keep working together to guarantee energy security.
Ukoha stated that there is no plan to raise fuel pump prices, and that the two organizations will continue to collaborate to ensure energy security. “We guarantee Nigerians to go about their businesses and buy the volume they need without panic,” he added.
On this basis, he stated that the authority had completed its regulation of national strategic stock and framework, and that it was on the verge of implementing the framework. “Again the sensitivity on the pump price is another matter, once those national strategic stocks are in place the logistic issues we have will be mitigated to a large extent and stabilise both supply and prices,” Ukoha commented.
According to NAN, the team assessed fuel stations in the FCT, including the NNPC Ltd. Retail Outlet in Katampe and the AP fuel station on Ibrahim Way in Garki 2. Both stations had large lineups. The station managers also certified that there was enough stock available, and that the pumps poured fuel to motorists accurately and with steady energy.
Motorists on the ground also urged the government to find long-term solutions and voiced varied feelings, as some spent more time queuing for petrol while others did not waste time waiting their turn. (NAN)
