Fuel stations extends their operating hours to aid Scarcity.
In light of the current challenging situation, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited
stated that fuel stations will be operating longer hours for the purpose of supplying and distributing fuel.
According to the corporation, Premium Motor Spirit trucking’s turnaround time has also been extended to alleviate the current problem.
This was said on Monday in Abuja by Dapo Segun, the Executive Vice President of NNPC downstream division,
during a joint station inspection by the company and representatives of the
Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority.
According reports, in an effort to guarantee that lines vanish,
the NNPC and the NMDPRA started that they are working together to supervise the distribution and supply of fuel stations
in the Federal Capital Territory as well as across the nation.
According to NNPC, the recent thunderstorms caused a disruption in the ship-to-ship fuel transfer
between mother vessels and daughter vessels, which led to fuel lines in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and other parts of the country.
It said that bad weather, such as thunderstorms and lightning,
had also interfered with truck load-outs, berthing at jetties, and product transit to filling stations,
causing logistical problems for station supplies.
Speaking during the inspection, Segun stated that there was a gap in the PMS discharge from ship to shore.
He defined PMS as a volatile liquid and added that ship-to-shore movement had to be suspended during thunderstorms in order to prevent its expulsion.
“This also affected the loading of trucks at the depot because of safety reasons,
so we have to suspend all that during thunderstorms and that’s why you see this tightness.
“We are getting fuel stations to run for longer hours, and we are getting marketers to collaborate and share stocks,
so instead of having a station with more trucks, they can release those trucks to other stations for circulation,” he explained.
According to Mr. Ogbugo Ukoha, Executive Director, Distribution Systems, Storage and Retailing Infrastructure, NMDPRA.
The inclement weather that disrupted truck routes and operations offshore was the cause of the congestion in sections of Lagos and Abuja.
In response to a question concerning its efforts to put an end to hoarding and the illicit operations of black marketeers,
Ukoha stated that its representatives were physically inspecting the stations and depots to ensure that no hoarding was happening.
Regarding any proposed rise in fuel pump prices, Ukoha stated that there was not a
plan nor an intention to do so, and that the two organizations would keep working together to guarantee energy security.
According reports, the team examined gas stations in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT),
with lengthy lines at the AP gas station at Ibrahim Way, Garki 2, and the NNPC Ltd. Retail Outlet at Katampe. The managers of the stations attested to the availability of sufficient stock
and mentioned that the fuel supplied by the pumps was precise and required a steady supply of energy.
On the ground, drivers voiced mixed emotions and urged the government to find long-term solutions,
with some having to wait longer in line for fuel than others and others not wasting time before their turns.
