Oil marketers pledge to end queues nationwide

Abuja - Oil marketers on Friday said
they have dispatched 700 trucks of
Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), to
Abuja as part of efforts to end fuel
queues at filling stations
nationwide.
This is contained in a communiqué
issued at the end of a meeting they
held in Abuja with the Federal
Government and other
stakeholders in oil and gas sector.
The media, reports that the
meeting was held to find lasting
solution to the persistent queues at
filling stations across the country.
In the communiqué signed by Taiye
Haruna, Permanent Secretary,
Ministry of Petroleum Resources,
the marketers agreed to begin to
move products to all parts of the
nation with immediate effect.
It stated that the meeting was
tagged "Queue must go
stakeholders’ platform."
It stated that Petroleum Products
Marketing Company in conjunction
with marketers, major and
independent, have agreed to
increase the level of supply to all
retail outlets nationwide with
immediate effect.
It also stated that the meeting also
directed marketers to move 700
trucks of petrol to Abuja with
immediate effect.
It noted that one of the major
constraints to distribution was the
logjam at Apapa –Oshodi
expressway in Lagos.
"We have agreed to work with the
Lagos State Government, Petrol
Tanker Drivers (PTD) and NARTO to
clear the logjam at Apapa."
“Currently we have over 2,000
trucks on that road waiting to take
fuel at the depot."
"Trucks are at Apapa to load
products but could not get product
but we fashioned out modality to
clear the logjam in conjunction with
other stakeholders,” it stated.
The communiqué further stated
that the measure would enable the
marketers start loading and moving
products out of the depot to the
hinterland.
"We have enough stocks that can
last for 23 days; also we agreed to
set up the committee of
stakeholders to monitor the loading
and delivering of products
nationwide."
“We have also agreed that efforts
will be made to clear this long
before the end of June”, the
communiqué declared.
It further stated that the Petroleum
Equalization Fund (PEF) would track
all the trucks from Apapa using the
Aquila project to avoid diversion of
the products.
"DPR is to ensure that products are
delivered and selling proceeds
should not be more than N87 per
litre."
"Government will not relent in their
efforts to ensure that the challenge
become a thing of the past."
"All stakeholders have agreed to
clear the queue before the end of
next week,” it stated
According to the communiqué, it
was also agreed that a task force
comprising all stakeholders was
being set up to look into the
distribution of PMS nationwide.
The meeting was attended by
Executive Secretary, Major
Marketers Association of Nigeria,
Femi Olawore and Chief Lawson
Obasi led Independent Petroleum
Marketers Association of Nigeria
(IPMAN).
Others included Executive Secretary
Depot & Petroleum Products
Marketers Association (DAPPMA),
Mr Femi Adewole; Mr George
Osahon, Director, Department of
Petroleum Resources (DPR).
The rest were Executive Secretary,
PEF, Asabe Ahmed; the Executive
Secretary Petroleum Products
Pricing and Regulatory Agency
(PPRA) Mr Farouk Hamed and the
Nigerian National Petroleum
Corporation (NNPC) representative,
Dr David Ige, GED Gas and Power.
- NAN