Nigeria: Fuel Scarcity – New Plan to Reverse Current Crisis in Progress – Presidency Sources

AS the fuel scarcity persists for several weeks in some parts of the country, the Federal Government has said it has initiated a nationwide, round-the-clock premium motor spirit (PMS) distribution plan, which will ensure a permanent end to the current fuel scarcity and prevent a recurrence.

The Presidency sources said already, the 24-hour distribution strategy, which started operation last week, with more than one billion litres of the product in stock, has achieved noticable reliefs in about three states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The states according to the sources are Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom and Cross River.

A presidency official who disclosed this at the weekend assured that in few days to come, virtually every state in the country would have returned to a very low queue situation in the Filling Stations or a completely restored situation with no long queues anymore.

The plan which was presented to FEC last week, had been signed off previously by President Muhammadu Buhari before he left the country last week Sunday with clear goals that included a conclusive determination on the initial cause of the scarcity with attendant consequences imposed.

According to the source, “the plan is designed to do everything necessary to end the scarcity quickly and hold those responsible for it in the first instance responsible so as to avoid a repeat.”

“Indeed under the Buhari administration what used to be an incessant and recurring decimal of fuel scarcity had been reduced to it barest minimum until the recent case of adulterated PMS, an incident that incurred the President’s wrath.

“But the plan drawn up by the NNPC executives had won the endorsement of the President and the praise of the Vice President, especially because of the 24-hour round the clock operations, including 24-hour sales in major supply centers in the country and the 24-hour continous loading at all depots, coordinated personally by the Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Mr. Mele Kyari, himself with the active participation of the Director-General of the DSS, Alhaji Yusuf Bichi”, the source said.

“The 24-hour operations also has an enforcement element with monitoring teams “to prevent any act of sabotage and ensure smooth operations.”

“That 24 hour operation also included the direct participation and support of members of the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria, MOMAN, Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN and private depot owners.

“By the end of last week, the country had over one billion litres total PMS stock, equivalent to about a month sufficiency based on the 60 million litres per day evacuation of the PMS. Lagos and Warri/Oghara loading zones hold the highest land stock of PMS with over 200m litres and over 100m litres respectively. The balance of the stock are held as Marine Stock.

“The endorsed plan also maintains the high evacuation rate: which is the total amount of stock supplied until such a time that the distribution situation is normalised.

“By the middle of last week a National Filling Stations Queue Map presented to the Presidency and at FEC indicated that fuel supply had returned to normal in 4 states of Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, Cross River and the FCT.

“In another 6 States there were very small queues with mostly about ten cars at a time. Those States are Oyo, Osun, Lagos, Imo, Abia and Ebonyi.

“It also indicated that in 13 States there were Medium Queues of maximum 50 cars. Those States are Delta, Rivers, Anambra, Edo, Ekiti, Kogi, Nasarawa, Bauchi, Kano, Ogun, Ondo, Sokoto and Zamfara.

“In the rest of the 14 States, there were still High Queues of above 50 cars at a time in the Filling Stations as at middle of last week.”

The source further said, “the most important thing to this Presidency is that “this scarcity is quickly ended and a recurrence firmly avoided in the future. This now seems certainly possible.”

Vanguard News Nigeria

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