The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, (NNPC) has engaged the Department of State Services (DSS) and Economic and the Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) with a view to checking the hoarding and diversion of petroleum products by markers.
A statement by NNPC’s Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Mr Ohi Alegbe, in Abuja Wednesday, said the arrangement was to assist in the monitoring of nationwide fuel truck-out to retail outlets and stop hoarding by unscrupulous marketers, further assuring that the corporation ‘was doing everything possible to normalise the fuel supply and distribution situation in the country.’
The statement said NNPC also apologised to commuters, motorists and the general public for the hardship faced in accessing petrol across the country.
The statement recalled that the corporation’s Group Executive Director, Commercial and Investment, Dr Babatunde Adeniran, had during a visit to the NNPC depot in Suleja, warned the marketers against sharp practices.
“Any marketer found wanting in the sale of petroleum products, including the NNPC retail outlets would be sanctioned appropriately. There will be no sacred cows as the corporation is working round the clock by supplying sufficient petroleum products to marketers to ensure that Nigerians enjoyed a yuletide season without pain.
“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.”
According to the NNPC statement, the Managing Director of the Pipelines and Products Marketing Company (PPMC), Mrs Esther Nnamdi-Ogbue, had also warned that defaulters would be sanctioned.
“The DSS and EFCC will arrest any marketer involved in sabotaging government’s effort in making petrol available to Nigerians,” the statement said.
“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.”
The statement urged Nigerians to desist from panic buying, saying that there were sufficient petroleum products to satisfy local consumption.
