The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Department of Petroleum Resources

  • Supply shortfall cause of fuel scarcity – Kachikwu

    Supply shortfall cause of fuel scarcity – Kachikwu

    Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, says the major cause of the fuel scarcity currently being witnessed across the country is shortfall in supply of petroleum products.

    Kachikwu, who stated this in a news briefing on Thursday in Abuja, however, said that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation ( NNPC ) was making efforts to ensure that queues at filling stations disappeared in a couple of days.

    “Presently, queues in Lagos have reduced. We know that Lagos, Abuja, Benue, Port Harcourt were among the worst-hit areas.

    “Benue has been dealt with; Port Harcourt is quite moderated. Apart from these areas, other places in the country are probably liquid.

    “The major problem is the gap in terms of volume, because NNPC is the only one importing the product to the country,” he said.

    The minister assured that there was adequate storage facility for imported products, adding that emergency measures were in place to ensure that the products were available during the Yuletide and post-January.

    He said that four vessels laden with petroleum products would “berth in a few days and a total of 20 cargoes are also expected with petroleum products’’.

    Kachikwu said that the NNPC had, as at Wednesday, discharged products at its depots, adding that emergency supply, quick truck delivery and stricter monitoring were measures adopted to ensure that queues disappeared.

    He added that NNPC would use additional trucking to major cities using strategic reserves from Suleja, Minna, Gusau and Gombe.

    This, he said, would help to service Abuja, Kano and Sokoto axis to feed the North-West, North-East.

    “I have asked the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) and Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency to ensure stricter sanctions on any station that refuses to abide by the rules.

    “They need to take a firm action to ensure that we get quick results,’’ he said.

    Kachikwu further assured that the market would be flooded with more products to cushion effects of over-subscription through Kaduna refinery production, adding that Port Harcourt was expected to start producing 2.1 million litres of petrol per day.

    He said that it was expected that with the adopted strategies, the queues would “slide down’’ in one week.

    On long-term strategy, he said that ultimate result would come when the refineries resumed optimal production.

    The minister said that work would commence effectively in the refineries in January.

    Executive Secretary of DPR, Mr Modecai Ladan, said that many sanctions awaited filling stations found compromising the dispensing process, warning that the stations would be shut down or charged N275 per litre.

    He said that any station found hoarding products would either be sealed or its product auctioned or dispensed free-of-charge to consumers.

    Ladan added that depending on the offence, defaulters may be shut down for six months or blacklisted.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that a drive round Abuja metropolis and highways revealed that only a few filling stations were opened for operation, serving long queues.

    NAN

  • DPR to shut unregistered petrol stations in Akwa Ibom

    The Eket Office of Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) on Wednesday threatened to shut filling stations operating in the state without registering with DPR from August 31.

    Dr Joseph Frank-Briggs, its Operations Controller,  gave the warning at a meeting with officials of the Independent Petroleum Marketers of Nigeria (IPMAN) in Eket, Akwa Ibom.

    He said the office had noticed that the operators of some filling stations whose licence had expired had failed to renew them.

    “Any filling station that does not renew its licence by the end of August will pay the sum of N250, 000 before the operator is allowed to operate or be shut down.

    “To prevent any embarrassment, IPMAN members should display their renewed licences in their filling stations.

    “We want to stress that it is an offence not to display your licence in your filling stations,” Frank-Briggs said.

    Frank-Briggs frowned at marketers who were in the habit of adjusting their fuel pump to short change customers.

    He said any filling station under-dispensing petroleum products would face the wrath of the law.

    On the issue of kerosene explosion, he said that the department would partner IPMAN members to reduce adulterated petroleum products to the barest minimum.

    “DPR and IPMAN need to work together and see how the issue of kerosene explosion will be nib in the bud.

    “We cannot allow unscrupulous elements in the society to contaminate kerosene that will affect the lives of the people,” he said.

    Mr Ubong Isong, IPMAN Chairman of IPMAN in Akwa Ibom, expressed sadness over incessant kerosene explosions in the state.

    Isong said many families had been affected by such explosions.

    “From our investigation, no marketer had been involved in the adulteration of kerosene. The department should extend its investigations to surface tank operators in the state,” he said.

  • Petrol scarcity: black market will soon be dissipated, says DPR

    Petrol scarcity: black market will soon be dissipated, says DPR

    The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) in Yola, on Tuesday assured that sale of petrol by black marketers would soon disappear.

    Mr Mohammed Alaku, the Zonal Controller of DPR for Taraba and Adamawa reassured that scarcity of the product being experienced had been brought under control.

    He said that the synergy between the department and the security agencies would soon yield positive result of curbing the activities of black marketers.

    He also said that more petrol stations were dispensing the product and urged members of the public not to patronise black marketers.

    “The fuel scarcity here is under control and the issue of black market will soon be over.

    “The synergy between the DPR and the security agencies in monitoring the sale of petrol to black marketers is yielding positive result.

    “Part of measures to discourage them from exploiting the public is to stop buying from them.

    “Their activities are still visible because the public still patronise them and that gives them courage.

    “As people become aware of their exploitative tendencies, they will get discouraged and stop buying from them,’’ Alaku said.

    According to him, the DPR has the mandate to force the filling stations, but not the black marketers to sell the product to the public.

    The controller noted that the task of apprehending black marketers must be a holistic exercise involving security operatives.

  • Community sacks pipeline project workers

    Community sacks pipeline project workers

    The phase 2 of the Escravos-Lagos Gas Pipeline Expansion project yesterday suffered a setback as the people of Igbooye in Epe, a Lagos suburb, prevented workers from further working on the pipelines.

    They are protesting non-payment of compensation by the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) on the communities’ over 10-kilometre land taken over for project.

    They alleged that the DPR failed to do Enviromental Impact Assessment (EIA) on the land.

    The irate protesters, who carried branches of trees and placards, were led by the heads of the ruling houses and family heads in the town, including Alhaji Mikhail Kadiri, Otunba Abdulwasiu Musa-Adebamowo, Alhaji Waidi Lasisi from Erelu ruling house; Alhaji Safiriyu Bakare from Osikadewa ruling house and Apostle Mathew Odunlami from Shamba ruling house, among others.

    They defied the directive of the monarch of the town, the Orijeru of Igbooyeland, Oba Michael Gbadebo Onakoya, who was alleged to have emboldened the DPR and workers of the construction company, Zakhem Construction Company Limited to carry on with their job.

    The people marched on the construction sites, forcing the workers to move their caterpillars, giant generators and welding machines out of the land to the neighbouring Ibonwon town.

    Alhaji Kadiri told the construction workers that they would not be allowed to work until the DPR met the demand of the people.

    Kadiri claimed that the DPR reneged on payment of compensation to the community and the families whose land were encroached upon by the project.

    He said that elders of the community had exchanged correspondences with the DPR on the issue but that the department has been economical with the truth.

    When reporters visited the palace of Oba Onakoya for his comments, his wife, Olori Adenike said he had travelled out of the community, saying that only the monarch could speak on the issue.

    DPR’s spokesman Paul Osu declined comments, but challenged the community to bring the acknowledged copy of the correspondences exchanged with the department for them to respond appropriately.