…condemn activities of middlemen, vow to investigate root causes
By Gloria Ikibah
The House of Representatives has revealed that there are about 1.5 billion litres of petrol that can last for 30 days available in the nation’s storage facilities.
The House further disclosed that the emergence of queues at filing stations across the country was as a result of logistics challenge, which is been resolved.
The Chairman, House Committee on Petroleum Midstream, Rep. Ikenga Ugochinyere and Chairman Committee on Downstream Petroleum, Rep. Odianose Okojie disclosed this at a media briefing on Wednesday in Abuja.
Rep. Ugochinyere addressing newsmen stated: “On the Issue of the return of fuel queues, We have in the last few days reached out to the stakeholders in the petroleum distribution value chain; the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN), and the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) to mention a few. We have engaged extensively with them, with a view to ascertaining the cause of the resurgence of the fuel queues in petrol stations across the country.
“We hereby express our concerns over the temporary presence of fuel queues in petrol stations across the country. However, we are convinced that this is temporary based on our investigation and in a couple of days, we shall get over it.
“From our investigations, we have discovered that there is availability of petrol products. We have on good authority that we have in our storage facilities, at least, about 1.5 billion litres of petrol that can last for 30 days. It is however saddening to note that it is as a result of logistics challenge that the queues have resurfaced. These logistic issues range from difficulty experinced in transporting products from the mother vessels to onshore. Movement of products with marine shuttle vessels, disruption in the Escravos channels, etc”.
According to him, the House has resolved that going forward and in order to avert a recurrence of this temporary challenge of distribution disruption which have attendant economic pains and spiral effect on the general welfare of the Nigerian people.
The lawmaker strongly frowned at the activities of middlemen who have taken advantage of the short disruption of supply, to maximize profit and generate inordinate gain for themselves, and vowed that the House shall investigate the remote and immediate causes of the temporary disruption.
“As House of Representatives Committees which oversights activities of regulators and operators in the downstream and midstream petroleum sectors, We shall work with the NNPCL, NMDPRA, PETROAN, NARTO and other key stakeholders in the distribution chain, towards finding a sustainable solution in ensuring that we do not run into such avoidable disruption in the near future, which can hamper economic activities.
“We have gotten the assurances from the regulators in the distribution value chain that these bottlenecks have been cleared. In the course of this public holiday, more grounds will be covered. From our findings, the issues that necessitated the disruptions which led to the appearance of fuel queues in petrol stations have been cleared. Obviously, it will take a few more days for things to return back to normalcy. Therefore, we call on Nigerians not to panic over this development.
“It will require more time, like two to three days, for products to be distributed to all stations nationwide. As a Committee that is charged with downstream and midstream oversight, we have been monitoring this development. Also, in line with our legislative duties of over-sighting the downstream and midstream petroleum sector, we have been in touch with the key stakeholders, the regulatory bodies and the transport unions, with a view to ensuring that the products get to our people timeously and without further delay.
“At this juncture, we strongly frown at the activities of middlemen who have taken advantage of the short disruption of supply, to maximize profit and generate inordinate gain for themselves, at the detriment of our people. We hereby call on security forces to support the NNPCL, NMDPRA, PETROAN, NARTO and other key stakeholders in the distribution value chain, so as to ensure that such acts of economic sabotage that has to do with hoarding, arbitrary increment in price, products diversion and smuggling are detected and dealt with. Our people have been through a lot in the last few days and we must not plunge them into further pains. We appeal to all traders and those rendering services, not to unduly take advantage of this temporary challenge, which will be cleared in the next few days”, he added.
Hon Okojie who is the Chairman Midstream Petroleum Resources, also assured that the committee has engaged sufficiently with the appropriate authorities in terms of fuel distribution and as at today the report received suggest that the fuel queues have started reducing and products have started arriving the petrol stations.
He said: “We urge Nigerians not to engage in panic buying and being enmeshed in unnecessary rush to buy products. As a country we have a storage of over 1.5 billion litres which can last for over 30 days. Now products are arriving and more products are on the high sea. The challenges that caused the disruption was the logistics issues and that has been handled with the maritime shuttle vessels as we speak, which will move products to marketers who are on standby waiting to serve the people. The logistics issues has been resolved completely and hopefully supply to stations would increase in a few days. There is no need to panic. Fuel is available and soon distribution would begin. In another day or two, there would not be fuel queues anymore in the country”.
The committee Chairmen therefore wished all Nigerians and workers, a happy workers day, even as they assured that there is no cause for alarm.
“Products are available and will in few days be circulated across the country. As the people’s parliament and as a Committee of Midstream and Downstream, we would be awake to our legislative duties and ensure that all the timelines are met and kept. We shall also work with the stakeholders to ensure that the issues are fixed. Happy workers day”.