By Chris Nomjov
In its concerted efforts at ending the haed-hitting petroleum scarcity plaguing the country; the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has engaged the Department of State Services (DSS) and Economic and the Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to arrest hoarding and diversion of petroleum products by some marketers.
The engagement of the security agencies is also meant to assist in the monitoring of nationwide fuel truck meant to deliver fuel to different retail outlets.
The Corporation apologised to commuters, motorists and the public for the noticeable hardship faced in accessing petrol across the country. It further assured Nigerians that it was doing everything possible to normalise the fuel supply and distribution situation.
During a working visit to the NNPC depot in Suleja in Niger State and some filling stations in Abuja and environs to evaluate the current fuel supply situation, the Group Executive Director Commercial and Investment of the Corporation, Dr. Babatunde Adeniran said any marketer found wanting in the sale of petroleum products including the NNPC Retail outlet dealers, would be sanctioned appropriately.
Dr. Adeniran stressed that there would be no sacred cows, as the Corporation was working round the clock by supplying sufficient petroleum products to marketers to ensure that Nigerians would enjoy a yuletide season without the pain of fuel queues.
“We must all make sure that petroleum products get across to Nigerians at the regulated price especially as the yuletide season approaches. We have enough products and we want to plead with the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) not to be involved in the diversion of petroleum products in order to avoid causing untold hardship to motorists,” Dr. Adeniran warned.
Providing insight on the role of the security agencies in curbing product diversion, the Managing Director of the Pipelines and Products Marketing Company, Mrs Esther Nnamdi-Ogbue said the DSS and EFCC had been mobilised to bring to book any marketer involved in sabotaging the efforts of the Federal Government in making petroleum products available to motorists.
“We have invited the EFCC and DSS to join us in this campaign of monitoring the movement of petroleum products and they have our mandate to sanction any errant marketer. Enough is enough,” Mrs. Nnamdi-Ogbue cautioned.
She urged Nigerians and motorists to desist from panic buying, assuring them that sufficient petroleum products had been provided to satisfy local consumption.
