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Tag: Fuel

  • DPR dispenses petrol to motorists for free in Ogun

    The Department of Petroleum Resources, Abeokuta Field Office, on Thursday dispensed petrol for free to motorists again in Abeokuta.

    The filling station, Daslap Petrol Station, Olomore, was allegedly caught selling above the official pump price.

    The team, led by its Head of Operations, Mr Kasali Akinade, said the action was necessary to make others comply with the law.

    “We got a tip-off that this station, Daslap, had fuel but they were selling above the pump price at N200 per litre.

    “On getting here, we also had evidences to support the claim.

    “When we checked their fuel stock level, we discovered they had 33,000 litres. In order to serve as a deterrent to others, we decided to ask them to give their fuel for free.

    We said they should give fuel to 20 motorists and 30 bikes for free,” he said.

    He noted that most of the marketers sold at night and “ungodly hours, when they know that officials cannot visit their station”.

    Akinade, however,accused some security agents of sharp practices, thereby making the DPR’s work more difficult.

    “Most of the law enforcement agents are not really helping matters. Some of them collect Jerry cans, some of them bring in vehicles from the exit points while we are trying to arrange and create sanity within the filling stations,” he said.

    Assessing the situation in the state, Akinade described it as ‘artificial’, noting that most of the stations had petrol, but were either hoarding or selling above pump price.

  • Scarcity: Don’t carry fuel in jerrycans, FRSC warns motorists

    As the new year fast approaches, the Federal Road Safety Corps ( FRSC ) has warned motorists against carrying containers filled with petroleum products on distant journeys.

    Mr Philip Ozonnandi, the Commander, Ore Unit in Ondo State gave the warning on Thursday in Ore.

    “We are aware of the fuel situation right now but it is a great offence for motorists to travel with petrol in jerry cans in their vehicles’ booths.

    “We are reminding motorists that the dry season is here which makes it very dangerous for motorists to carry fuel in jerry cans while in transit as this may speed up havocs which are not prepared for.

    “We also urge motorists to ensure that they have fire extinguishers, C-caution, wheel spanner, jack and spare tyres in case of an emergency,” he said.

    He said that it was a traffic offence for motorists to carry petrol in jerry cans while in transit.

    He said that it was also hazardous to lives and property of commuters in such affected vehicles.

    The FRSC boss also urged motorists to ensure that they have fire extinguisher, C-caution, wheel spanner, jack, extra tyres and other apparatuses in their vehicles.

    Mr Ozonnandi maintained the national special patrol put place by the FRSC was active.

    He said that no fewer than 150 of its personnel had been deployed to the Benin-Ore-Shagamu Expressway to monitor movements of vehicles and ensure a free flow of traffic and check excesses of motorists.

    The commander advised the motorists to shun reckless driving, speeding, overloading, dangerous overtaking and the use of expired tyres.

    He said that they should also stop answering phone calls while they were on the wheel, deploy non-use safety belts while driving, saying these actions constitute traffic offences.

    The unit commander said obedience to traffic rules would ensure safety of lives of the drivers and their passengers being expected by their individual families for the celebration of the New Year.

     

    NAN

     

  • Former Kaduna Governor, Balarabe Musa reveals characters behind fuel crisis

    Former Kaduna Governor, Balarabe Musa reveals characters behind fuel crisis

    A former Governor of the old Kaduna State, Alhaji Balarabe Musa, has blamed the current fuel crisis on activities of saboteurs in the oil industry.

    Musa on Thursday from Kaduna said Nigerians were going through this hardship due to selfish interest of some people.

    He alleged that some petroleum marketers, in connivance with some government officials, hoarded petroleum products to create artificial scarcity for profiteering.

    Musa said that this was the reason petroleum products were not available at filling stations and the price hiked at the black market.

    He described the situation as unacceptable and urged government to stop activities of “saboteurs” with a view to making the products available to all.

    “It is very unfortunate that Nigerians are going through this hardship to get fuel which should be available to all.

    “Without doubt, saboteurs are behind this problem. Some marketers, with the conspiracy of some government officials, hoard or divert petroleum products for their selfish interests.

    “The government should get to the root of this. We cannot continue to have this problem, especially around Yuletide period.

    “Nigerians have suffered enough in the past few days. Government should find a lasting solution,” he said.

    Musa said that Nigeria would continue to have this problem so long as people put personal interests above public interest.

    He said privatisation of some of the critical sectors of the economy had impoverished the masses, while producing super rich few.

    The former governor said for the people to actually feel the impact of governance, government should be more involved in the running of the economy.

    He said that he was sympathetic with Nigerians over the fuel crisis and urged them to play their part in ending corruption in the system.

     

  • DPR shuts down two fuel stations in Calabar, warn against diversion

    The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) in Cross River has shut down town fillings stations for selling petrol above the government approved price of N145 per litre.

    Controller of DPR in Cross River, Mr Bassey Nkanga, who shut down the filling stations during surveillance on Wednesday in Calabar, said that the stations were violating the government directives.

    Nkanga said that it was wrong for oil marketers to increase the pump price when the federal government has not done so.

    Speaking after a routine inspection, he said that the federal government was doing everything possible to end the current fuel scarcity.

    TheNewsGuru reports that `Uddy King’ was shut down for selling the product at N190 per litre, while Uko-Ma was sealed for selling at N205 per litre as against the approved pump price of N145.

    According to him, the DPR would continue its surveillance on all petrol stations within the state to ensure that a litre of petrol is sold at N145 per litre to Nigerians.

    “We have not recorded any hoarding situation in Calabar. We have heard of a few stations selling above government prices and that is why we went out to monitor the sales and make sure that they sell accordingly.

    “We have received calls from the northern part of Cross River that some people are selling above the approved pump price. We are moving into that area and our presence there will end that situation’’, he assured.

    The Controller, who described the illegal increased in price as `greed’, urged marketers to always comply with the government approved price.

    “We have advised people against panic buying. We have told them not to store petrol in their houses.

    “We have made several efforts through the media in appealing to members of the public not to panic-buy because in a few days time, the product will be available for all.

    “The only assurance I have is that government is making every suitable effort to make sure that the situation is normalise’’, he said.

    He further explained that his office was checking the marketers at the depot to ensure that no marketer was selling above the government price.

    “We are doing intelligence report in the depot to fish out those that might be making effort to sell above what it approved.

    “We have also issued warning to all the depot managers that anyone who is caught doing business with bulk buyers or diverting the product will be penalised’’, he warned.

    He said due to monitoring, his office has caught diverted product that was meant for Adamawa state, adding that he has already alerted his counterpart in Yola to take action on the matter.

    He appealed to his colleagues in other states who may see diverted products meant for Cross River to always notify him for proper action.

     

  • NNPC, DPR intensify raid on errant fuel stations

    The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) have increased the tempo of unscheduled visits to fuel stations in Abuja suspected to be involved in underhand dealings.

    A statement by the NNPC said the raids, in collaboration with operatives of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), had earlier led to the clampdown of a notorious fuel outlet in Kubwa, a suburb of the FCT caught selling petrol at the rate of N250 per litre.

    The NNPC Group Managing Director, Dr Maikanti Baru, assured that in line with its mandate as supplier of last resort, it would continue to work with relevant stakeholders like the DPR and NSCDC to quickly end the prevailing hardship in accessing petrol across the country.

    Baru said with the recent directive by the Presidency for security agencies to tighten the noose on smuggling of petroleum products, cross-border activities and diversion of products would be curtailed.

    ”This will allow Nigerians to benefit from the massive injection of fuel into the system being undertaken by the corporation within the last few weeks,” he said.

    The statement said the NNPC had announced the temporary suspension of products dispensing activities at its mega station along Lagos Road, in Port Harcourt due to a fire which occurred near the station.

    The fire resulted from a Toyota Camry car which exploded outside the station after product was dispensed into an extra in-built locally fabricated tank designed to siphon fuel.

    The statement stated that although the fire did not affect the station, it was imperative to suspend operations to enable security agencies clear the resultant traffic situation at the scene.

     

  • Fuel scarcity worsens in Ekiti as motorists sleep in filing stations

    Scarcity of petrol has became unbearable in Ekiti as motorists now sleep in filing stations across the state to have the opportunity to buy.

    News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that some of the motorists that NAN correspondent met at the filing station on Wednesday morning were busy washing their faces with water.

    One of motorists, Bolaji Oguntuase, ‎told NAN that he was disappointed with the fuel marketers for hoarding the product and making them to suffer under the sun all day.

    He said many of the marketers had fuel, but deliberately decided not to sell to create artificial fuel scarcity.

    ” I slept inside my car outside the compound of NNPC before I could buy fuel this morning,” he said.

    Another motorist, Bidemi Owolabi, said he did not expect the marketers to punish motorists by hoarding fuel.

    He called for understanding of the marketers, saying that inadequate fuel in circulation could distabilise all forms of businesses in the state.

    ‎Owolabi said most of them had to sleep in filing stations, while others bought from black markets to carry on with their daily business.

    He said BOVAS and NNPC were the two ‎filing stations that were consistent in selling fuel.

    The State Commissioner for Information, Youth and Sports, Mr Lanre Ogunsuyi, ‎described the situation as unfortunate.

    He expressed displeasure that Ekiti residents could go through the problem.

    Ogunsuyi said the state government had appealed to the fuel marketers not add to the sufferings of the people by inflating the price of fuel and hoarding the commodity as well.

    “I am so much disappointed at the attitude of the marketers who are hoarding this fuel, they should have sympathy on the people and sell the fuel to them.

    “We have been appealing to the fuel marketers to sell to the people, but we cannot force them with task force because it is only the Federal Government that has the power to punish or close any filing stations that refuses to sell,” he said.

    it is reported that BOVAS and NNPC in Ado-Ekiti are the two filing stations that are currently selling at the price of N143 per litre..

  • Horrible! Christmas without petrol – Chijama Ogbu

    By Chijama Ogbu

    If you faint in the day of trouble, your strength is small, says the Good book. Without mincing words, it is difficult to understand why the Federal Government has not been able to effectively deal with the crippling fuel scarcity in the country. It is bad any time to compound the suffering of the people who had been the butt of the recession in the country with agonizing search for fuel. But when it is happening at Yuletide season, when millions of Nigerians across the country are travelling to their native homes, the failing is almost tragic in proportion.

    As expected, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation has dumped all blames on the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) whose one-day strike is believed to have triggered the scarcity. But that again still goes to accentuate the failing of the government to adequately appreciate situations and take proactive measures. The senior workers and government officials were engaged on negotiations over the demands of the senior oil workers up till Saturday December 16, 2017 and yet they could not prevail on them to shelve their planned strike. A more responsible (or is it sensitive?) administration would have done better to ensure that the strike was truncated. After all, persuasion skill is a key element in governance. Every perceptible Nigerian knows that massive movement across the country happens at this time of the year, beginning from mid-December.

    But even as the strike has come and gone, it is difficult to understand that it would take the NNPC more than five days to normalize supply. Does it mean that if the strike action had lasted for a week that it would have resulted in scarcity of up to a month? Since Tuesday, the corporation has been assuring Nigerians that queues in petrol stations would disappear within 24 hours.

    According to Ndu Ughamadu, the NNPC spokesman, the corporation’s Group Managing Director, Dr Maikanti Baru, had met with the heads of Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) and Petrol Tanker Drivers (PTD) to nip the problem in the bud. He said that a nation that consumed 35 million litres suddenly increased consumption to 85 million litres due diversion to neighbouring countries .
    “Dr Baru just today directed that more trucks be moved into the FCT to douse tension and increase supply. He met with NARTO and PTD and they assured that trucks would be closely monitored.

    “He said Lagos should be maintained at 300 trucks but the actual figure coming into Abuja should be increased by 150.Port Harcourt refinery has also increased refining and so by tomorrow (Friday) queues should normalise and by weekend it would have disappeared,’’ Ughamadu said. He said that the scarcity was artificial as the corporation “as at today has adequate products and a 25-day sufficiency’’.

    But the reality is that as at today (December 23, 2017) the situation has worsened abysmally that many Nigerians have abandoned their cars and many others who depend on generating sets to light their homes are going with light. Of, course we all know that electricity is an occasional visitors to our homes.

    I find it strange the government’s blame game strange. First, it was the PENGASSAN, who they blame for mistiming their agitations. I have always known that people making demands seek the best opportunities to deliver their message. That was what the oil workers did and in fact they achieved maximum impact. After that excuse had gone stale they have come up with the claim of adequately supplying the market, only for the marketers to divert to neighbouring countries. We are talking about fuel-laden trucks for goodness sake. If the government cannot stop huge trucks from crossing the country, especially when they suspect that our petrol products are being trucked abroad, it tantamount to saying our government has failed. It means that anybody can carry anything in and out of the country, at his or whim. Where are our customs, immigration, police and even DSS? According to the NNPC, Nigerians daily consumption has reason from 35 million litres to 85 million liters of petrol. For this amount of leakage to actually occur, it means that trucks would line up in our borders seeking to take the products out. Where are our immigration officials, the police, the Customs and DSS?

    This excuse sounds very familiar. That card has been played before. What many Nigerians believe, and methinks that is closest to the truth, is that the government wants to exploit the grueling scarcity of petrol to increase its pump prices. Some say price would be jacked up to N185 per litre from the present N145, while others say it would be as high as N250 per litre. Whether true or no, it is the uncertainty surrounding the pricing of petrol that has made oil marketers adopt cautious approach to dispensing of their products. Many of them would want to keep reasonable quantity of the product in their tanks to reap the huge differential if the new price regime kicks in.

    Besides, the NNPC is just not telling us all the truth. I have tried to work my contacts in the oil industry, and I found the product is scarce even at the depots. I was reliably informed that some independent marketers are paying as high as N198 for a litre of petrol. If there is a sufficient supply, they won’t be paying such astronomical prices for petrol. I can’t be persuaded that just in these few days profiteers have created multiple channels to transport the product across the borders without being detected by security agents.

    It is unfortunate that Nigerians will be spending this Yuletide season in agony of fuel scarcity. The actions or inactions of the government have ruined the joy of Christmas for many families. Those who travelled, did so through the excruciating experience of long hours of queues in petrol stations, while commuters had to pay three times the amount which they used to pay before the scarcity. It is a gross failing on the part of the government which had promised to ensure stable petrol supply at Yuletide.

    Chijama Ogbu is the publisher of The Rainbow online newspaper

  • NNPC faults marketers for fuel scarcity in the country

    The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has blamed the current petroleum scarcity in the country on marketers of the product.

    The Group Managing Director of the company, Maikanti Baru, in a statement by Mr Ndu Ughamadu, the NNPC Spokesman, also said part of the problem was the rumours about purported planned increase in the pump price of petrol.

    He stated that some marketers, in their quest to cash in on the situation, suddenly started hoarding products.

    “But we swiftly swung into action by doubling our supply nationwide. At the time the rumour started, we had about 30-day sufficiency.

    “The normal daily supply to the nation is 700 trucks, equaling about 27-30 million litres per day,’’ Baru said.

    He assured that the corporation had doubled its daily supply of petrol, from daily 700 trucks (about 27 million – 30 million) litres per day supply to 80 million litres since the current hiccup in the supply chain was noticed a few days back.

    He further assured Nigerians that the NNPC had enough products sufficiency that would last up to 30 days.

    Baru, who expressed joy at PENGASSAN’s call-off of its planned strike, urged motorists not to engage in panic buying as the corporation had more than enough products for domestic consumption.

    Assuring that the fuel situation would fizzle out this week, Baru warned marketers against hoarding, stressing that any filling station found wanting in this regard would lose its entire products to motorists.

    He commended NNPC’s sister agencies, the Department of Petroleum Resources and Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency, for their support in helping NNPC tackle the menace of hoarding by filling stations.

    Signing a Memorandum of Understanding between the Corporation and the Benue Government on the Agasha-Guma bio-fuels Projects, Baru said that at least a billion litres petrol-laden cargoes were expected by December.

    He said the Bio-fuels Project would provide employment for the teeming youths in the state.

    “I believe that Benue has what it takes to lead the country in the bio-fuels industry.

    “I hope that your state will soon move from food basket to fuel basket of the nation,” Dr. Baru noted.

    The Agasha-Guma bio-fuels project aims at developing Integrated Sugarcane Plantation and Fuel-Ethanol/Sugar/Power Plant Complex in Benue through a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV).

  • N20m fine: DPR to sanction erring depot owners selling above ex-depot price

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Tuesday said that 80 political parties submitted applications for registration ahead of the 2019 elections.

    INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, made this known on Tuesday at the Fourth Situation Room Stakeholders Forum on Elections, organised by a coalition of Civil Society Organisations in Abuja.

    There are currently 67 political parties already registered.

    Yakubu, who was represented by Dr AdeKunle Ogunmola, a National Commissioner at INEC, said that the commission was also being asked to register independent candidates for the elections.

    “As it is today, 80 more groups are seeking registration as political parties.

    “We will continue to register them until the time scheduled by the Electoral Act for us to stop.

    “The issue of Independent candidacy is still there too.

    “Right now, we are thinking of how to design our ballot papers to take care of all the registered political parties.

    “So far, the hardest was the Anambra election, where 37 political parties fielded candidates,’’ the chairman said.

    Yakubu said the commission was determined to ensure that the 2019 elections were free, fair and credible.

  • Fuel scarcity: Why we suspended strike – PENGASSAN

    The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN, yesterdayy announced the suspension of its planned nationwide strike after Neconde Energy Limited, an indigenous oil company, agreed to recall a disengaged staff member of the union.

    The National President of PENGASSAN, Francis Johnson, who announced the suspension of the strike, said it was done in the spirit of the forthcoming yuletide season.

    “In the spirit of the yuletide, on behalf of the National Executive Council, NEC, of PENGASSAN, the Central Working Committee, CWC, hereby suspends the nationwide strike with immediate effect and all members are to resume normal duties immediately,” Mr. Johnson said late on Monday.

    Neconde had on October 5 terminated the appointment of Babatunde Animashaun, a Gas Petroleum Engineer and Chairman of the oil company’s Chapter of PENGASSAN.

    Apart from Mr. Animashaun’s sack, the management of the company was said to have engaged in activities the oil workers said were aimed at stifling unionism in Neconde.

    Despite protests by the national secretariat of the union over the matter, the company refused to rescind its decision on Mr. Animashaun.

    Initially, the association issued a 72-hour ultimatum to government to call the company to order over allegations of anti-workers practices against some of its members, including Mr. Animashaun.

    At the expiration of the ultimatum, another seven-day notice was issued, which resulted in the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu, offering to broker a truce between PENGASSAN and the company.

    But the minister’s intervention did not yield fruits, following which the association declared a formal strike action to commence after 23.59 hours on Monday.

    However, before the meeting of its Central Working Committee to take a final decision on the strike, PENGASSAN was inundated with meetings with various government agencies, including the Minister of Labour and Employment and the State Security Service, SSS.

    During last week’s meeting with the labour minister, Chris Ngige, PENGASSAN alleged anti-union posturing by some indigenous companies and marginal field operators, including Neconde Energy, accusing them of indiscriminate transfer of employees.

    At the end of the engagement with both PENGASSAN and Neconde management, the oil firm agreed to recall the sacked union leader and allow its employees to belong to unions of their choice.

    Besides, the meeting also agreed that all resolutions reached would be subject to reviews after three months, to determine level of adherence by Neconde Energy.

    In the same vein, the meeting also agreed to address alleged anti-union posture of other indigenous and multi-national oil companies, particularly their penchant to resort to abuse of court processes to stall the peaceful resolution of issues affecting workers’ interests.

    The accused companies include Specialty Drilling Fluid, SDF; CETCO, Century Energy, Oil Data Services, Frontier Oil, Universal Energy, Fugro Oil and Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited.

    Announcing the suspension of the planned industrial action on Monday, Mr. Johnson said issues of anti-union posture of the companies must be addressed, by ensuring they abide by the country’s constitution, extant Labour laws and International Labour Organisation conventions by the third week of 2018, to avert a full blown industrial crisis.

    The announcement by PENGASSAN to proceed on strike is believed to have worsened the fuel scarcity across the country as marketers hoarded the product in anticipation of the strike and petrol users resorted to panic buying.

    The fuel scarcity across the country has resulted in price increase by filling stations in some states.