Kachikwu orders increased supply of petrol to Nigerians during Christmas and New Year celebrations

Minister of State for Petroleum Resources and Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Group Managing Director Dr. Ibe Kachikwu has directed the Pipelines and Products Marketing Company (PPMC) and Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) to embark on renewed special supply intervention measures to ensure availability of petroleum products ahead of the Yuletide and beyond.

The NNPC, in a statement, said the special supply intervention mechanism, which entails the ramping up of additional supply via massive truck-out to guarantee product penetration to the nooks and crannies of the country started over the weekend.

The corporation stated that daily fuel truck out to locations such as Abuja, Kaduna, Kano, Enugu, Ibadan and Jos have been increased significantly to enhance free flow of products across the country.

The NNPC stated that it was consolidating its strategic alliance with some major depot owners and oil marketers with strong regional logistics outlay in those areas to ensure maximum infiltration of products, especially in the hinterland ahead of the Christmas and New Year festivities.

Calling on the public to refrain from hoarding, product diversion and panic buying of petrol, the corporation noted that the intervention measure would help circumvent the challenges posed by the unavailability of pipelines for the transportation of petroleum products.

FG Slashes Import Licenses To Oil Marketers From 43 To 29

The Federal Government has issued licenses to import refine petroleum products to 29 marketers in a bid to end the fuel scarcity witnessed across the country.

The third quarter approval for import allocations to 29marketers signaled a significant reduction in the number of marketers previous issued with such allocations.

Previously, 43 marketers were given import allocation but the significant reduction may be seen as a way of blocking leakages in oil andgas sector as promised by President Muhammadu Buhari.The 29 marketers include the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) which in the last couple of months struggled to sustain supply.

It was gathered that the approval was given by President Muhammadu Buhari to the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) to allow NNPC and other oil marketers to import fuel into the country this quarter.