The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, has directed relevant agencies to embark on special supply of petroleum products to ensure country-wide availability at Yuletide.
Mr Ohi Alegbe, Group General Manager (Public Affairs), Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), in a statement in Abuja on Sunday said the special supply intervention mechanism would entail the ramping up of additional supply via massive truck-out to guarantee product penetration to the nooks and crannies of the country which teed-off over the weekend.
Alegbe said Pipelines and Products Marketing Company (PPMC) and Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) would supply the special intervention with daily fuel truck out to Abuja, Kaduna, Kano, Enugu, Ibadan and Jos increased significantly to enhance free flow of products across the country.
The statement said: “NNPC is 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.
“The collaboration would be especially in the hinterland ahead of the Christmas and New Year festivities.’’
It called on the public to refrain from hoarding, diversion and panic buying of products.
It added that the intervention measure would help circumvent the challenges posed by the unavailability of pipelines for the transportation of petroleum products.
It noted that product diversion was an economic crime and warned that it would not hesitate to report offenders to the security agencies for prosecution.
-Leadership