The Nation Newspaper

Tag: mega station

  • Mega station owners seek partnership with NNPC

    Mega station owners seek partnership with NNPC

    The Association of Mega Filling Station Owners of Nigeria (AMFSON) has called for a stronger partnership between the association and the management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited.

    The Association said it can transport fuel to the 774 local government headquarters in the country at a cheaper rate in order to make the product available to the people at the grass-root levels.

    In a statement by the President of AMFSON, Davidson Nwankwo Ukatta, said following a meeting with members of the association in Abuja, the filling stations owned by his members can be found in all the 774 local councils of the country, making it easy for the public to access petroleum products at a cheaper rate.

    “There is a need for the management of NNPC and other critical stakeholders in the downstream sector of the petroleum industry to see AMFSON not only as business partners, but as partners in progress in the quest to deliver products to Nigerians at a cheaper and affordable rate.

    “AMFSON  is well structured to help make petroleum products available to Nigerians, our members are located across the 774 local councils in the 36 states of the Federation and the federal capital territory (FCT).

    “While NNPC Retail filling stations are politically located in the capitals of the 36 states of the Federation and Abuja, AMFSON outlets can be found in multiple numbers in the 774 local councils of the country.

    “The locations of AMFSON member outlets makes it possible for Nigerians to readily access petroleum products at a cheaper rate nationwide.

    “Therefore there is the need for all critical stakeholders to rally round the association in its bid to make petroleum products available across the country.

    “There is also the need for NNPC Limited to deepen its relationship with AMFSON  members as part of strategies to make cheaper petroleum products available to the public.

    “AMFSON is the only group that can help NNPC Limited to drive the policy behind the establishment of NNPC Retail Limited.

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    “Our members are well equipped to drive the policy behind the setting up of NNPC Limited which is aimed at making petroleum products available to Nigerians at an affordable rate.

    “Our filling stations can be found in all the 774 local councils of the country, making it easy for the public to access petroleum products at a cheaper rate.

    “We are happy at the opening of the national secretariat of the association, because the new secretariat would further create a more enabling environment to meet the needs of its members.

    “Until now, the national secretariat of AMFSON was located in Gwagwalada, one of the farflung outskirts of Abuja. The relocating of the national secretariat to the Abuja city center marks a new chapter in the annals of the association,” the statement said.

  • Saro-Wiwa’s associates reject MOSOP’s refusal of mega station

    members of Ken Saro-Wiwa Associates have kicked against the Movement for Survival of the Ogoni People’s (MOSOP’s) rejection of the Federal Government’s mega filling station in Ogoni.

    The organisation, yesterday in Port Harcourt, through its National Coordinator, Chief Gani Topba, condemned MOSOP’s attempt to blackmail the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu.

    MOSOP, last week, through its Publicity Secretary, Fegalo Nsuke, described Kachikwu’s efforts to build a mega station in Bori-Ogoni, traditional headquarters of Ogoniland and the seat of Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State as ridiculous, degrading and a callous response of the Federal Government to the Ogoni problem.

    MOSOP declared that the offer would make Nigeria a laughing stock among the comity of nations, stressing that the wrong step depicts a lack of initiative on the part of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to address the Ogoni problem.

    It insisted on the clean-up of the polluted environment and implementation of the United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP’s) environmental assessment report on Ogoniland.

    Ken Saro-Wiwa Associates, an organisation committed to actualisation of ideals and consolidation on legacies of the Ogoni hero and renowned environmentalist, Ken Saro-Wiwa, described MOSOP’s position as baseless, senseless and ridiculous.

    The group said: “Ordinarily, as a visionary organisation which is working assiduously to rekindle hope and better the lots of the generality of Ogoni people, we would have ignored the rabblerousing and misrepresentation of facts by MOSOP’s leadership, but we are constrained to react due to its capacity to misinform the unsuspecting public.

    “While acknowledging that the Ogoni issues as presented to the Federal Government have not been addressed in the specifics, as highlighted by Ogoni leaders since 1990, we view the opposition to the siting of a beneficial Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation’s (NNPC’s) mega filling station in Bori as petty, borne out of ignorance, bad faith, showmanship, attention-seeking and as an attempt to curry sympathy from the larger Ogoni populace, in view of the badly dented image of the current leadership of MOSOP, and all in the bid to score cheap political point, ahead of the forthcoming MOSOP election.

    “Ken Saro-Wiwa Associates, pained by the suffering of the densely-populated Ogoni area, who depends on the meagre quantity of petroleum products allocated to marketers in the area, and the prevalence of unethical business practices, such as petroleum products hoarding, adulteration, false measures and adjustment of metering pumps by most of the filling stations, as well the overdependence on and patronage of products from artisanal refineries, with its associated risks of fire accident, requested the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources to site an NNPC mega station in Bori.

    “The request was made, bearing in mind the economic potential and social impact of the investment to create direct and indirect employment opportunities, ameliorate the suffering of the people and abate scarcity of petroleum products in Ogoniland. Our action was also informed by the pressure the neighbouring people of Andoni, Opobo/Nkoro, Okrika and Akwa Ibom State are mounting on the limited products allocated to marketers in the Ogoni area. Thus, the NNPC mega station was conceived to benefit, not only the Ogoni people, but also their neighbours.”

  • Petrol scarcity bites harder in Jigawa

    Petrol scarcity bites harder in Jigawa

    As petrol scarcity bites harder in Dutse, residents have urged the Federal Government to take decisive measures to restore normalcy in the supply of the product to the Jigawa capital.

    A correspondent who visited all the filling stations in Jigawa state capital, reported that only the NNPC Mega Station was dispensing petroleum products to long queues of vehicles.

    A cross section of the motorists on Friday noted that the scarcity was artificial, pointing accusing fingers at activities of economic saboteurs.

    A resident, Malam Abubakar Umar, said: “People, especially the poor, are exposed to difficulties in sourcing for the product due to its acute scarcity.

    “The Federal Government must adopt practical measures to check petrol scarcity; such measures are imperative to address this lingering problem once and for all.”

    Another resident, Malam Sani Muhammad, said that the exorbitant prices of petrol had exposed many people to unnecessary hardships and forced some to park their vehicles and alternated with commercial ones.

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    Muhammad, who attributed the problem to diversion of the product and hike in its prices by some petroleum marketers, added “even the price of ordinary kola-nuts has now increased”.

    A civil servant, Malam Ahmad Balarabe, bemoaned the devastating effect of the scarcity on many residents in the state capital.

    “Look at the situation most of us find ourselves now; to fuel vehicles, to travel, to buy food stuff, in fact, to do everything now has become a problem.

    “Almost everything is affected by the present fuel scarcity across the country.

    “So the Federal government and other parties concerned should do everything possible within their powers to bring an end to this unnecessary hardship we are experiencing.

    “However, we know that the Federal Government is doing its best for Nigerians,” Balarabe said.

    As at Jan. 4, only the Dutse NNPC Mega Station was selling the commodity to consumers at the official pump price of N145 per litre.

    However, the product is sold for between N250 and N300 per litre at the black market.

    NAN

  • Fire guts Abuja NNPC mega station

    Fire guts Abuja NNPC mega station

    The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) mega station at the Central Business District in Abuja has been gutted by fire.

    A member of staff at the mega station who preferred anonymity told the News agency of Nigeria(NAN) on Monday that the fire started around 10 p.m. ‎when a tanker was discharging fuel to the tanks of the petrol station.

    The source said that no casualty nor injury was‎ recorded but noted that some sections of the filling station were affected by the inferno.

    It added that the fact that it was weekend and late in the evening, reduced the risk of casualties and significant damage.

    He said that officers and men of the Federal Fire Service Abuja were on hand to tackle the fire and helped in preventing it from spreading to neighbouring buildings.

    Some eye witnesses confirmed that the prompt response of the fire service helped the situation.

    Yarima sani, an eye witness, said, “I was driving close with the intention to fill up my tank when we were asked to use a different road that there was fire at the station.

    “I parked and trekked and I saw the fire service people were already there helping to quench the fire,” he said.

    He added that some security men helped in controlling traffic.

    Commenting on the situation, Mr. Collins Elechi, Public Relations Officer, Federal Fire Service Abuja, confirmed the incident to NAN.

    He said that the fire started around 9.28 p.m. while a tanker was discharging product. He said the service received a distress call immediately and quickly deployed its men to the scene.

    “Our fire fighters responded immediately to the fire outbreak on Sunday at the mega station.

    “The quick intervention limited the loss to the vehicles alone.

    “It could have been more devastating if it had happened in the day time, especially afternoon, “he said.

    He called on filling stations to be cautious while discharging petroleum products.

     

  • DPR shuts NNPC mega station, others for ‘under-dispensing’ products

    •Motorists, motorcyclists decry exploitation in Nnewi

    The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Abia office at the weekend shut the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) mega station in Umuahia and seven other filling stations over alleged under-dispensing of petroleum products to the public.

    The sealing followed a routine

    surveillance carried out by the DPR during which it was discovered that some of the stations were allegedly cheating customers with as much as two litres per every 10 litres they bought.

    Eight filling stations were shut.

    Seven were located in Umuahia. They are NNPC mega station on the Enugu/Port Harcourt Expressway at Ohuhu

    Umuahia; Sinday Oil Services; NNPC sales outlet and Forte Oil

    (formerly AP) all on Aba Road.

    Others are ELWAZZEY Oil Ltd., Tonimas Ltd. and MRS Ltd. located at Mission Hill, Umuahia.

    The only filling station sealed

    in Aba was Kenjika Filling Station on Aba/Owerri Road.

    The DPR operations controller in Abia, Dr. Jones Ogwo, said it was regrettable that marketers, including the NNPC mega station, wanted to sabotage Federal Government’s efforts in making petroleum products available and affordable by Nigerians.

    Motorists in Nnewi, Anambra State and its environs cried out yesterday over alleged exploitation by filling stations, despite Federal Government’s policy on pump prices.

    A commercial motorcyclist, Mr. Godknows Uchez, said at times he paid for five litres, but in the end he would be given just two or three litres, alleging that filling stations in the area were fond of adjusting their meters to swindle customers.

    He urged government to rescue them.

    A bus driver, Mr. John Ezike, alleged that filling stations sold at N100 per litre.

    He said government should assist transporters by regulating petroleum product prices.