The Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd, Mele Kyari on Sunday night visited some petrol stations in Abuja to ensure adequate distribution of petrol to Nigerians.
Kyari was accompanied on the inspection by the Executive Director, Distribution Systems, Storage & Retail Infrastructure, Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Mr. Ogbugo Ukoha, and other top officials of the NNPC.
Speaking to journalists during the tour, the GMD expressed satisfaction that normalcy is beginning to return to the country through the loading of petrol at the depot.
He expressed optimism that with the 24 hours dispensing of petrol to motorists as well as the support being given by President Muhammadu Buhari, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources Timipre Sylva, and the cooperation of security agencies and oil marketers, the petrol crisis will soon be over.
Kyari said, “We are happy normalcy is returning and we are loading products all over the country 24 hours, truck numbers are increasing, normalcy is returning gradually and we seeing that the situation in Lagos and Abuja has greatly improved. We are very sure that normalcy will return very soon.
“That is why we are here to ensure that our stations sell 24 hours and to make sure that normalcy quickly returns to our country and of course what is also true is that Mr. President is constantly kept in the picture of what is happening.
“He is giving us all the direction and support that we require, we are very happy with the support that we have gotten from him including the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources. Everything is on course.
“We are working very closely with the Authority that is trusted with regulating what is going on and we are working with government security agencies particularly the Department of State Services to ensure that product gets to the station. We apologize to Nigerians that this difficulty is here and we are getting out of it.”
Also speaking, Ukoha commended the collaborative efforts by the NNPC, security agencies, and other stakeholders in ensuring the seamless supply and truck out of products across the country.
He said, “There is a collaboration between the Authority and the NNPC; the security agencies have also been very cooperative.
“The various marketing associations have also been collaborating and the depots, we are seeing the truck out in many places 24 hours from Mondays to Sundays. So, if we keep up that momentum, within a few days as the GMD said, the queues will be over.”
On his part, the Station Dealer, NNPC Retail, Airport Road, Abuja, Mr. Aliyu Ilu, said that the station is open for business 24 hours and is receiving a steady supply of products.
He said, “Over the past three days we have had steady supply and the queues have lessened. All the cars today didn’t stay for more than an hour in the queue. The station is no more crowded as you can see, there is not much pressure. We have been operating 24 hours for the last three days.”
