The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) has directed all its retail stations with Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) to commence operations for longer hours to reduce long queues by motorists and other fuel users at fuel stations nationwide.
The company’s Executive Vice President (Downstream), Mr. Dapo Segun, gave the directive on Tuesday during a joint inspection of fuel stations with the Executive Director of Distribution Systems, Storage, and Retailing Infrastructure at the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Mr. Ogbugo Ukoha, in Abuja.
He lamented that the adverse weather conditions had significantly impacted the ship-to-shore discharge of petrol across the petrol filling stations in major cities in the country.
He said: “During thunderstorms, it cannot be discharged due to safety reasons, which also affects the loading of trucks at the depot.
“This is why you see this tightness. Despite challenges like deteriorating motorways due to rain and flooding, we will ensure continuous loading throughout the weekend and mobilize more trucks.
“Fuel stations will run for longer hours, and marketers will collaborate and share stocks. So, rather than have a station with more trucks, they can release those trucks to other stations for circulation”, Segun assured.
It would be recalled that the NNPCL had, in a statement on Monday, promised to restore normalcy to resolve the logistics challenges and ensure hitch-free supply of petrol to all affected areas currently experiencing shortages of fuel.
It stated: “The NNPC Ltd. wishes to state that the fuel queues seen in the FCT and some parts of the country were as a result of disruption of ship-to-ship (STS) transfer of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as petrol, between Mother Vessels and Daughter Vessels resulting from a recent thunderstorm.
“The NNPC Ltd. is working with relevant stakeholders to resolve the logistics challenges and restore a seamless supply of petrol to affected areas.
“Already, loading has commenced in areas where these challenges have subsided, and we are hoping the situation will continue to improve in the coming days and full normalcy will be restored.
“The NNPC also calls on motorists to avoid panic buying and hoarding of petroleum products”, the company added.
