Fuel Scarcity: NNPC battles distributions logistics
Sopuruchi Onwuka
Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited has called on Nigerians to be patient in the face of lingering fuel shortages, assuring that it was battling logistics challenges affecting efficient distribution of petrol in the country.
Group General Manager of the national oil company which is the country’s supplier of last resort, Mr Garbadeen Muhammad, stated on Friday that the management of NNPC Limited was working assiduously with partners to ensure sufficient volumes of the product is supplied every corner of the country.
Mr Garbadeen Muhammad made it clear that NNPC has sufficient stock of petrol for distribution across the country.
The Oracle Today reports that the company had at the outset of the prevailing fuel scarcity declared sufficient stock and pledged to beef total national stock by over 2.0 billion liters by the end of February.
The company later declared full cycle operations at its retail and loading facilities and also enlisted its market partners to extend service hours at their own facilities.
However, most filling stations in Lagos and Abuja, including the mega stations of NNPC Retail, were dry and shut against customers on Friday. There were queues that caused traffic impasse in major roads close to few retail outlets that serviced desperate motorists from single dispensing pumps.
Sharp market practices were rampant at some stations operated major oil marketers as pump attendants charged additional fares to sell fuel to people who came with plastic cans. Long distance travelers spend hours at fuel queues at major transit stations.
Mr Muhammad attributed the difficulties in fuel distribution to logistics hitches, alluding to security concerns expressed by private marketing firms in operating into the night.
He stated that NNPC is “intensifying efforts to resolve distribution hitches being experienced in some parts of the country due to logistics issues.”
“To this effect, NNPC is engaging depot operators to load product round the clock to accelerate the restoration of normal distribution.
“NNPC has also engaged the services of Government Security Agencies to ensure that all products loaded get to their right destination.
“We urge all Nigerians to continue to be patient as we strive to restore the situation to normalcy.”
