Petrol scarcity to end this week – The Nation
December 22, 2009 by tim
Minister of State for Petroleum Odein Ajumogobia yesterday visited some oil depots in Lagos including Folawiyo Energy, MRS and Capital Oil and Gas Limited to verify the cause of the fuel scarcity in Lagos and other parts of the country.
Folawiyo said it has a stock of 73,000 metric tonnes about 100 million litres and would today discharge a Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation’s (NNPC) vessel (MT Orange Express); MRS has 28,000 metric tonnes about 35 million litres of fuel and is expecting to discharge another NNPC vessel next Tuesday. Capital Oil was absent but it has some stock of fuel, which couldn’t be determined.
The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), however, discredited earlier claim of 40 days stock by the NNPC. The Department said the Petroleum Products Marketing Company (PPMC) has only 4.3 days sufficiency about 358 million litres with 12 vessels berthing on the high sea, which all together would make it 14 days stock.
The major marketers said they have five days stock and one of their vessels – MT Rofos is discharging about 18 million litres.
The findings showed that there was enough supply, but there was a problem with distribution, which was worsened by the petroleum tanker drivers’ strike at the weekend. Naval officers were said to have had a brawl with some tanker drivers. The union went on strike in sympathy with their assaulted members. The officer in charge of the Apapa Naval Base, Commodore Obi Ozojiofor, intervened and the strike was called off the second day.
The depot owners and major marketers assured that before the end of this week, the scarcity would ease and Nigerians would enjoy Christmas.
