The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPC Ltd., started a meeting with major marketers of petroleum products in the nation’s downstream sector.
The aim of the meeting was to grow a strong determination to sustain energy security for the country and avoid diversion of petroleum products.
The meeting which held at the NNPC Towers, Abuja, had in attendance the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria, MOMAN, the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria, DAPPMAN, and Independent Marketers, on the need to curb products diversion.
The Group Executive Director, Downstream who was represented by the Managing Director, Petroleum Products Marketing Company, PPMC, Isiyaku Abdullahi, said that NNPC as the sole importer of petroleum products was in a critical situation that required the solid cooperation of the marketers to sustain product availability to Nigerians and reduce burden of high evacuation costs on government in terms of under-recovery.
Mr Abdullahi said that the company was concerned that in spite of the high truck-out of Premium Motor Spirit from depots across the country, the market was still experiencing shortfalls, noting that diversion of products had been identified as a likely reason for the gap.
He appealed to the marketers to activate the Corporate Social Responsibility, CSR, component of their businesses to support both the Federal Government and the NNPC in sustaining energy security for Nigeria.
Mr Abdullahi stressed that such gesture would help in cushioning the effect of the current global energy crisis.
On his part, the Executive Secretary of MOMAN, Clement Isong, said that NNPC was playing a key role in keeping the country well supplied in terms of petroleum products, especially at a critical time when the world faced inflationary problems.
Speaking in a similar vein, the Executive Secretary of DAPPMAN, Clement Isong, expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the meeting, assuring that DAPPMAN as a responsible organisation is committed to ensuring efficient supply and distribution of petroleum products across the country.
