Tag: Filling Stations

  • NMDPRA seals filling stations for selling PMS above regulated price

    NMDPRA seals filling stations for selling PMS above regulated price

    Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Osogbo, on Thursday, sealed eight filling stations in the state for allegedly selling premium motor spirit (PMS) above the government-approved pump price.

    NMDPRA Coordinator in Osun, Mr Kunle Adeyemo, said this after the agency’s routine surveillance of filling stations in Osogbo, the state capital.

    Adeyemo said that the surveillance was aimed at sensitising the public that the pump price of petrol, as approved by the Federal Government, had not changed.

    He said that the surveillance operation would continue on a daily basis until all marketers within the state reverted to the government-approved price for PMS.

    “We are out basically because prices of fuel are getting erratic and we are trying to tell the people that there is a specific price for petroleum and government has not changed it.

    “We want to ensure that every filling station in the state adheres strictly to the official price of between N179 and N180 per litre,” he said.

    Adeyemo said that the affected filling stations were sealed for selling above the official pump rice.

    He said that the agency would continue to work round the clock to ensure that the masses were not in any way cheated by petroleum marketers.

    The NMDPRA coordinator appealed to the general public to always report sharp practices by petroleum marketers at the agency’s office in Osogbo for appropriate action.

  • DSS, oil marketers set to clear petrol queues in 48 hours

    DSS, oil marketers set to clear petrol queues in 48 hours

    The Department of State Devices (DSS), at a meeting with oil marketers and other stakeholders, has resolved to address the challenges of fuel scarcity and lingering queues at filling stations within 48 hours.

    The Public Relations Officer of DSS, Dr. Peter Afunanya said this on Thursday in Abuja while briefing newsmen at the end of a meeting with petroleum distribution stakeholders.

    He said the meeting was attended by representatives of the DSS, NNPC Limited, Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria, Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria and other stakeholders.

    Afunanya said part of the resolutions reached was that the NNPC would provide fuel at normal and affordable official rate to all marketers.

    He said the meeting also resolved that marketers who operate depot would work on a 24-hour basis to ensure adequate supply of fuel in the country.

    According to him, it was also agreed that the DSS will ensure protection and provision of security to all marketers and their products across the country while moving oil products.

    Afunanya said the DSS would take action against any filling station,  marketer or oil stakeholder that reneged on the agreement reached at the meeting.

    He said the meeting was called to address the challenges of fuel scarcity, adding that the DSS would not sit back and watch the current scarcity persist despite availability of the product.

    The DSS spokesman said the lingering fuel scarcity could lead to economic sabotage and threat to national security, if not properly handled.

    He said plans were concluded by the DSS to raid all fuel stations and quizz any marketer found hoarding petroleum products.

  • Fuel scarcity: GMD NNPC blames long queues on Sallah break

    Fuel scarcity: GMD NNPC blames long queues on Sallah break

    The Group Managing Director of Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), Mele Kyari has said long queues at filling stations caused by Sallah break.

    TheNewsGuru.com, (TNG) reports the GMD reassured residents of the FCT and affected regions that the long queues currently being experienced will ease out soonest.

    Speaking shortly after meeting with the House of Representatives Ahdoc committee on the rehabilitation of refineries, he attributed the current scarcity to the inability of tankers to supply products due to the workers Day and Eid-fitr holidays.

    While speaking on the lingering fuel scarcity in Abuja and other parts of the country, the NNPC helmsman assured Nigerians that there is sufficient Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) to meet national demand.

    He explained that there is a total of 2.8 billion litres of PMS in the country, sufficient to meet national demand for the next 47 days even without importation.

    “During the holidays, truck drivers could not present trucks in most of the depot and because of that, there are some glitches around load out in the depots.

    “We have corrected this, all trucks loaded out at the maximum today; we believe this is a very temporary thing, we believe with 150 trucks coming into Abuja today and another 150 coming into Abuja tomorrow, the scarcity will soon go away,” he opined.

    While assuring that the long queues will soon vanish, Kyari explained that relevant authorities are taking steps to ensure that parallel marketers popularly known as ‘black marketers’ do not take advantage of the situation.

    He, assured that once supply is maximised, the black marketers will disappear effortlessly.

    He also maintained that mechanism are being put in place to take care of the menace of black marketers who take advantage of the scarcity to make quick money.

    TheNewsGuru.com, (TNG) recalls that the Chairman of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria Kano state, Bashir Danmalam, on Monday told Nigerians to brace-up for the worst due to outstanding bridging claims amounting to over five hundred billion naira owed it members by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority.

    The GMD NNPC has doused the tensions raised by emanating speculations from some quarters which might disrupt the peace of the Nation.

  • IPMAN threatens to shut down filling stations, cut fuel supply nationwide from Tuesday

    IPMAN threatens to shut down filling stations, cut fuel supply nationwide from Tuesday

    The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has stated plans are underway by its members to shut down all filling stations across the country.

    IPMAN warned it might also cut down supplies from Tuesday should the Federal Government and Inspector General of Police fail to address alleged illegalities perpetrated by the Police Force.

    National Public Relation Officer, (PRO) of IPMAN, Yakubu Suleiman, said these on Sunday in a chat with reporters in Jos.

    Some police officers last Friday were alleged to have invaded IPMAN National Secretariat for some unstated reasons.

    Suleiman described the invasion as an illegal clampdown over alleged sponsorship by some impostors parading themselves as executives of IPMAN.

    He said aggrieved members and officials at State, zonal and depot levels have met and resolved to shut down filling stations over the incident.

    “Whereas there is subsisting Supreme Court judgement of December 2018, that have since disposed off a suit No. SC15/2015, and ordered that Mr Chinedu Okoronkwo, is our President and Alhaji Danladi Garba Pasali, as National secretary.

    “The continued violation of this judgement, even by the police is causing more harm to the downstream sector of the petroleum industry, which if such is not halted will lead to impunity and anarchy,” he said.

    He frowned at the police siege on their Secretariat, adding similar incident led to the closure of Suleja depot last week.

    He claimed the Suleja incident would have truncated supplies to Abuja and Northern States if not for the National Secretariat intervention.

    “It is true that members of IPMAN in many States across sections of Nigeria, have met and others are meeting and communicating to us that they will shut down, from Tuesday.

    “The implications would be there will be a shortage or fuel scarcity in the country,” he said.

    The IPMAN PRO called on the Chief Justice of the Federation, the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources, NNPC, the National Assembly and Inspector General of Police to act in protection of laid down rules of law.

    “We are calling on all arms of government including the security agencies to take the necessary action, towards halting impunity in the downstream sector of the petroleum industry,” he said.

  • NLC threatens to picket filling stations involved in causing artificial fuel scarcity

    NLC threatens to picket filling stations involved in causing artificial fuel scarcity

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has threatened to picket filling stations across the country over hoarding and creation of artificial petrol scarcity.

    The NLC President, Mr Ayuba Wabba, gave the warning at end of an emergency (virtual) meeting of the National Executive Council (NEC) of the congress on Tuesday in Abuja.

    Wabba said NEC had condemned the current hoarding and artificial scarcity of petrol by marketers in major cities.

    He said that NEC lamented the great hardship the situation was imposing on an already suffering and traumatised Nigerian workforce and people.

    Wabba said that Nigerians were being punished and impoverished to satisfy the greed of a few marketers of refined petroleum products.

    “NEC called on relevant regulatory agencies of government to rise up to the protection of the interests of the majority of Nigerians from the exploitative hands of market forces.

    “These market forces are bent on making maximal profits from the sufferings of fellow citizens.

    “The NEC also warned that should the current artificial scarcity persist that the various leadership structures of the NLC should picket petrol stations found to be inflicting pains on Nigerians,” he said.

    Wabba also said the attention of the entire working class in Nigeria had been drawn to a bill which was listed in the House of Representatives as HB 950.

    He said the bill, which was sponsored by Mr Garba Datti of Sabon Gari Federal Constituency, Kaduna State had passed the first and second reading in February.

    He noted that the NEC considered Datti as only a hireling in the plot by his sponsors to disorient, injure, and exterminate Nigeria’s working class.

    “Any attempt to move the National Minimum Wage from Exclusive Legislative List to Concurrent Legislative List will make Nigeria a laughing stock in the comity of nations.

    “NEC resolved that if the National Assembly give credence to a Bill seeking movement of the minimum wage from the Executive Legislative list, to Concurrent Legislative list, workers may embark on strike,” he said.

    Wabba noted that any attempt to move the minimum wage was an attempt to plunge the country into chaos and make Nigeria a laughing stock in the international community, as minimum wage was a global standard.

    He added that the major reason behind the call to move the minimum wage to the Concurrent Legislative list was to enable states negotiate and fix their minimum wage.

    He said that the National Minimum Wage was a global standard adopted by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) through Convention 26 which was ratified by Nigeria on June 16, 1961.

    He, therefore, said that Nigeria as a Sovereign gave effect to the National Minimum Wage by putting it in the Exclusive Legislative List.

    He also said the NEC called on President Muhammadu Buhari not to allow fifth columnists masquerading as politicians to derail his government by railroading the legislature into removing national minimum wage from the exclusive to the concurrent list.

    Wabba also said NEC rejected in its totality, a bill with the number HB. 1062 sponsored by Mr Abbas Tajudeen representing Zaria Federal Constituency of Kaduna State.

    The bill he said was seeking a constitutional amendment to allow for establishment of State Judicial Councils.

    “The NEC submitted that the passage of the bill would occasion a further exacerbation of the institutional crisis in our country, constitute an existential threat to our democratic experience and greatly imperil the corporate existence of Nigeria.

    “The NEC also reasoned that given the heterogenous nature of Nigeria in terms of culture, religion, and ethnicity, it would be difficult if not impossible to manage the fallout from the decentralisation of our judiciary,” he said.

    He added that NEC after a careful consideration of the issues on their implications to the working-class, decided that there will be a national protest.

    He said the action would commence from the March 10 in the Federal Capital Territory to the National Assembly.

    “The protest is to make a strong statement that Nigerian workers would not lie low and watch hard fought rights which are of global standards bastardised by opportunistic and narrow thinking politicians.

    “The NEC resolved that the national protest action will be concurrently held in all the 36 states of the federation and to the different State Houses of Assembly across Nigeria,” he said.

    NEC resolved that all the resolutions and decisions adopted at the emergency meeting should be pursued in collaboration with the Trade Union Congress (TUC) in the overall interest of all Nigerian workers,” he said

  • Oyo seals four banks, six hotels, three filling stations, others over Land Use Charge

    Oyo seals four banks, six hotels, three filling stations, others over Land Use Charge

    The Oyo State Government on Thursday, sealed off six hotels, four commercial banks, three filling stations, and seven companies for defaulting from paying the state’s land use charges.

    In line with the government’s Land Use Charge revenue demand bill, the State enforcement team sealed off the affected business facilities for failing to pay the required tax.

    The government said it took the decision to seal off the facilities after several reminders and discounts offered to the defaulters were not taken advantage of.

    The properties which are part of the premises under scrutiny in the Oyo State government property enumeration exercise were served bill for over 90 days and were expected to comply with the Land Use Charge obligation.

    According to the government, most of the businesses owed millions, and sealing them was the first phase of the exercise which was carried out across all local governments within the Ibadan metropolis.

    Speaking after the exercise, Chairman of the state’s Board of Internal Revenue, Aremo John Adeleke, said the exercise was targeted at making businesses in the state alert to their responsibilities, and enable government to provide security, infrastructure, and other essentials necessary to make businesses thrive.

    Adeleke said the state government has given, as palliative, an additional ten percent discount to complement the initial 25 percent discount on all taxes, to ensure that the businesses stay afloat in the face of economic realities posed by the COVID-19 scourge.

    He added that the government was poised to generate all taxes from business owners without hurting them and the capacity to sustain economic growth in the state even as the enforcement continues till the end of the year.

    He said, “The focus of the drive is not to close down or ground any business but to give a push to businesses to assist the government in creating a better business premise for them to thrive.”

    Meanwhile, the state’s Community and Social Development Agency (CSDA) has dissociated itself from an online portal concerning its ongoing recruitment of staff.

    The agency called on members of the public, especially prospective applicants, to beware of conmen who are seeking opportunities to defraud.

    The Board Chairman, Babatunde Eesuola, in a statement issued in Ibadan, said the Oyo State government established the CSDA through the State Act of Parliament in 2008 with the responsibility of implementing the World Bank Assisted Community and Social Development Project (CSDP) in the interest of the people.

    He noted that all applications from suitably qualified candidates from the state’s public service or private sector to fill the published vacancies, will be submitted to the Office of the Chairman of the Agency at 18, Osuntokun Bodija Ibadan, not through any online link and at no cost.

    Describing the online recruitment link as fake and fraudulent, Eesuola advised applicants not to have anything to do with those behind the initiative.

    He urged those behind the link to desist adding that government will not hesitate to arrest and prosecute culprits.

  • Why we seal filling stations across Nigeria – DPR

    Why we seal filling stations across Nigeria – DPR

    The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), has said that the essence of insisting that Petroleum Marketers totally comply with the rules guiding product distribution in the country is to instill sanity into the system to promote investment and not to make money for the Federal Government.

    The Zonal Controller, Port Harcourt Operation, Bassey Nkanga gave the explanations shortly after a routine Surveillance operation in Rivers state, against the ongoing festive season.

    Addressing journalists, Nkanga said that DPR is mandated by the FG to ensure strict compliance in the petroleum product distribution chain for the growth of the business in the country including the state to ensure that consumers get value for their money, and not necessarily to generate funds for the FG as wrongly being insinuated in some quarters.

    He said that a total of eight filling stations were sealed in the state in the two-week end of the year, last quarter intensive routine surveillance operation by the Department, to ensure that nothing goes wrong during the Christmas and New year celebrations, and even after.

    Speaking, the Controller said, “…In Rivers state particularly, we started these intensive surveillance last week and so far we have closed down eight filling stations for various offences, we have visited over 70 filling stations since we started.

    “Just today alone, we shut down four filling stations after visiting about 22 filling stations and the essence of this surveillance is to ensure that petroleum products marketers do not exploit their customers as well as continue maintain a good compliance level as far as guidelines and regulations are concerned.

    “The closure of filling stations is not to generate funds for the federal government but are just deterrent policies of government to ensure that marketers comply guidelines and regulations,” he explained.

    Nkanga noted that the move was aimed at promoting investment opportunities in the oil and gas industry.

    Giving insight on the expectations of the public in the year ahead, he said, “For the year ahead, DPR will continue to operate in a way that will promote investment opportunities in the oil and gas sector and also work with the operators to ensure that things are done correctly, reduction in operational cost and increment in investment activities as well as penetration of the use of LPG in the rural communities.”

    He expressed gratitude to petroleum marketers in the state for their supports and level of compliance to the DPR product lifting and distribution guidelines, but however warnes against any deviation, slack presently or in the future, adding that their will be no Scape goat should anyone caught indulging in any activity that will underminine the record already achieved.

    “From my judgement, i would say the marketer are not doing badly, over 80 per cent of filling stations visited were in line with total compliance, but those ones that are caught not complying with guidelines and regulations will be adequately sanctioned if need be, because there are some marketers who could have had problems due to metre malfunction, in such situations we know, correct them and ask them to continue their business, but for the ones that are trying to cheat the public deliberately are the ones to face severe sanctions.” he stated.

    During the surveillance outing, the DPR team among other things checked for the level of sand in each sand bucket at filing stations, the state of the sand, (wet or dry), fire extinguisher expiry dates, product quality and above all, how it is being metered, depended to the public(correctly, under Despenser or over Despenser).

  • Special report: Unending queues at filling stations despite PENGASSAN’s botched strike

    By Olaotan Falade

    …Nigerians groan as scarcity bites harder

    …product now sells for N180 – N185 per litre

    …as black marker sellers resurfaces on major highways

    Most Nigerians were relieved on Monday when news filtered in that the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has suspended its planned nationwide strike scheduled to commence on Monday.

    The decision to suspend the strike came after the intervention of the Director of the State Security Service, SSS, Lawan Daura, the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chris Ngige and the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu.

    PENGASSAN had earlier alleged anti-labour practices against some of its members by some indigenous oil companies, one of which it identified as Neconde Energy Limited.

    Prior to the meeting, the oil workers had issued a 72-hour ultimatum to the government to intervene over allegations of anti-workers’ practices perpetrated against some of its members working in Neconde Energy Limited.

    The umbrella body of senior workers in the oil and gas industry had accused the management of Neconde Energy Limited of wrongful termination of the employment of some of its workers who belong to PENGASSAN.

    However, before the botched strike by PENGASSAN, there has been a scarcity of the product for over two weeks earlier.

    Nigerians had thought of the possibility of another fee hike by the Federal Government and had resulted in panic buying.

    This caught the attention of the Federal Executive Council members on Wednesday, December 6 and they dispelled the rumour, insisting that scarcity of the product will end before that weekend.

    The FEC meeting for that week was presided over by Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo as President Muhammadu Buhari was on a working visit to Kano State that day.

    Two weeks down the line, the queues are still visible and some filling stations have even remained under lock and key since then.

    Not done with the promises of ending the scarcity, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu again reiterated last Thursday during the National Executive Council meeting chaired by the Vice President that the scarcity will end in forty hours (48hrs).

    Briefing State House correspondents after the meeting, the governor of Edo State, Godwin Obasaki, said, “The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources assured council that within the next 48hours fuel supply will be restored nationwide because there is enough fuel in our strategic reserves and the ministry has released fuel from these reserves and it expects distribution will reach all parts of the country within the next 48hours.”

    However, despite all the harvest of promises of ending the scarcity, Nigerians are yet to feel the impact as the product has continually remained scarce and expensive.

    A visit by TheNewsGuru.com to some popular cities in Lagos did not prove otherwise.

    Queues in most of the filling stations visited extended to the main road, therefore, causing gridlock for other road users. A frustrated man who identified himself as John in one of the filling stations visitied told TheNewsGuru.com that he has been on the queue for over ten hours and the hope of getting the product is dim.

    In his words: ‘I’ve been here since 5 am. We heard they are selling and I quickly drove down thinking I will be the only one. Unfortunately, some other people have been sleeping here for days and the crowd was just unbelievable. Since then, they have been selling intervals and at a very expensive rate too. Those that bought said they dispensed for them at N180:00; others said they sold for N170:00. I’m not sure how much it will be dispensed if it eventually gets to my turn,” John said sounding tired and frustrated.

    TheNewsGuru.com also noticed that some black market sellers have resurfaced on major highways. In some areas visited, a five-litre jerry sold for as much as N1, 500 – N2, 000. When asked why it was so expensive, one of the traders who was obviously making cool business said: ‘If you know what we went through before getting just a litre, you won’t care even if we sold this five-litre jerry can for N5, 000.

    However, majority of the filling stations were locked. When TheNewsGuru.com enquired, they answered that they were out of stock and were expecting supplies. However, anonymous sources in the area confirmed to TheNewsGuru.com that they sell at night above the recommended price (of N145 per litre) to motorist and other buyers.

    Efforts by TheNewsGuru.com to reach the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu and the National President of PENGASSAN, Francis Johnson for comments were unsuccessful as at the time of filing this report.

     

  • We’ll dispense your fuel free to motorist if you are caught hoarding, NPMC warns filling stations

    The Managing Director of Nigerian Product Marketing Company, NPMC, Umar Ajiya, on Wednesday, said petrol from filling stations found to be hoarding products would be confiscated and served free to motorists.

    Mr. Ajiya said this after an inspection of six stations around the FCT in company of other officials from Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC.

    According to him, the disappearance of long queues in Abuja is as a result of hard work and effort between sister agencies – the NPMC, Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency, PPPRA, Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR, and security agencies.

    He said “we moved our operations to 24 hours in all depots and affiliate retail stations.

    Similarly, our majors have done the same in Abuja to complement our efforts. In addition, we increased our truck-out capacity to over 1,300 a day. As you can see, trucks are arriving at several stations.

    We had also beefed up surveillance and directed to serve motorists free petrol confiscated from depots or filling stations found to be hoarding products.

    The genesis of the whole problem was the proposed increase in price, but we had since debunked that. There was no iota of truth in that and people should not indulge in panic buying.”

    Mr. Ajiya said a plan had been put in place to ensure a steady supply of products all through the Christmas season and beyond.

    We have a robust supply plan. Every day, we have a minimum of one ship arriving Nigeria. Today, we received two ships, tomorrow, we have a ship and the day after; we are expecting two ships, and that is the trajectory going forward until the end of the year.

    One ship on the average carries 50 million litres and in our belief, average consumption in Nigeria is about 35 million litres.

    Once we sustain our current operations, we will not have this kind of situation,” the NPMC boss assured.

    He further assured that the DPR had asked its operators to go to depots and monitor prices “and anyone caught selling above official rate should be penalised.”

    The NNPC Chief Operating Officer (Ventures), Babatunde Adeniran, who is also in charge of the task force monitoring team told journalists ”we have a robust plan that will take us to the end of the year.

    Our hands are on deck to ensure normal supply and demand without chaos and to clear Lagos, Abuja and every other part of the country.

    Our target is to see black market operators disappear.”

     

  • Fuel Scarcity: NASS cautions security personnel against shunting at filling stations

    The National Assembly on Friday said security personnel were compounding the hardship being faced by motorists in getting petrol in the prevailing scarcity of the product across the country.

    The Senate and House of Representatives Joint Committee on Petroleum (Downstream) made the allegation during the committee’s inspection tour of filling stations in the Federal Capital Territory.

    The chairman of the joint committee, Kabiru Marafa, urged heads of security agencies, including the military, to caution their personnel against shunting and aiding illegalities in filling stations in the territory.

    Mr. Marafa said as organisations that held discipline in high esteem, it was disturbing to find that security agents were contributing to the problems associated with the current fuel problems in parts of the country.

    ”I have told NNPC management to write all the security chiefs on the activities of their men.

    ”The military as we know is the highest responsible organisation. Everybody respects the military.

    “So, I am appealing to military and para-military agencies to call their men to order because what we saw today is unpleasant and not good for their image.

    ”They could have their filling stations for supplies because the idea of going to the filling stations to obstruct traffic and to cause long queues is not good at all.

    ”The ones we met and talked to respected themselves and left but that is not to say they will not come back when we leave.

    ”Unfortunately, with this development, even the civilians take a cue from them and further contribute to the obstruction,” he said.

    The lawmaker said that there was ordinarily no cause for the present situation, and urged all Nigerians irrespective of position to contribute their quota towards finding solution to the artificial scarcity.

    ”The President has given instructions that the NNPC should ensure adequate supply, but it is one thing to give instruction.

    ”If there are problems associated with either the supply, distribution or dispensing, there will still be problems.

    ”Since we started oversight, we have turned into a task force, controlling traffic, among others.

    ”The causative factors for the current situation boil down to indiscipline and selfishness which is summed up to corruption.

    ”The rumour by just a few about planned increase in the pump price of petroleum products in the country is what has led to the current situation.

    ”It is glaring that the information that led to this present situation is the handiwork of enemies of government and the people,” he said.

    The lawmaker further said that another problem was hoarding by marketers “just to maximise profit’’. Even some of the filling stations with large storage facilities hoard the commodity he added.

    ”Interestingly, Nigeria is a very religious country with the two major religions preaching love. But, here we are, with everybody trying to take advantage of the other person, yet we blame government.

    ”From our assessment, most of the filling stations have enough fuel but it takes so long for motorists to get into the stations because of those shunting.”

    Mr. Marafa assured Nigerians that information available to the committee from the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) indicated that that more supplies would be made across the country.

    According to him, about 160 trucks service Abuja on a good day but because of the current situation, 227 trucks will be entering Abuja now.

    He added that daily consumption of fuel across the country was in the range of 40 million litres.

    ”I have on good authority from NNPC that we have over a billion litres of the commodity in our strategic reserve that should last the country for about 18 days.

    ”Also, we have been told that 21 vessels will be arriving before the end of the year and one vessel has 50 million litres capacity,” he said.

    The chairman assured Nigerians that the committee would continue to interface with relevant stakeholders in ensuring that the situation eased off in few days.

    He also assured that the committee would continue its oversight of filling stations to check some sharp practices that had led to the hardship.