The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) on Wednesday disputed the statement credited to the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association (DAPPMA) on the fuel supply situation in the country.
The NNPC in a statement signed by Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Ndu Ughamadu, described the claim as unfortunate.
“NNPC wishes to affirm that it has supplied appreciable volume to DAPPMA, Major Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN) and Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN).
“This effort is to rid the challenges currently being experienced in the supply and distribution of petroleum products in the country.
“NNPC regrets that DAPPMA which members had taken receipts of products from Petroleum Products Marketing Company (PPMC), a subsidiary of NNPC and owe the company to the tune of N26.7billion as at December 21, 2017, has the audacity to indict NNPC unjustifiably’’, it said.
The state oil company added that the claim by DAPPMA that the current hiccups in the supply of products was due to the inability of the Direct Sale Direct Purchase (DSDP) partners of NNPC to deliver on their business obligations is unfounded and self-indicting.
According to the statement, many of DAPPMA members patronise the same DSDP international counterparts as the corporation.
NNPC added that despite the concession by the government giving access to DAPPMA to obtain FOREX at an official rate of N305 per dollar for PMS import, their members had not been able to do so.
This, it said had left NNPC as the sole supplier of PMS to the Nigerian market.
It assured the public that despite the increase it effected in the supply of PMS in the December 2017, it had programmed to supply 1.2 billion litres of the white products in January 2018.
The NNPC said that supply would translate to about 40 million litres of PMS supply per day.
“Ordinarily, Nigeria consumes about 700 trucks (about 27million – 30million) litres per day,’’ it said.
It further reassured that there was no plan to increase PMS pump price above N145/litre and that NNPC would continue to maintain ex–depot price of N133.28/litre which guarantees the pump price not exceeding the N145 per litre capped by the government.
The Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association (DAPPMA) had on Tuesday expressed concern over the inability of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to send petrol to its members’ depots.
DAPPMA’s Executive Secretary, Olufemi Adewole, in a statement in Lagos, had urged NNPC to help the association so as to alleviate the suffering of Nigerians.
“Our members’ depots are presently empty. However, if the PPMC/NNPC can provide us with petrol, we are ready to do 24-hour loading to alleviate the sufferings of Nigerians and for the fuel queues to be totally eliminated
“DAPPMA members import about 65 per cent of the nation’s total fuel consumption, Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN) imports about 15 per cent and PPMC/NNPC import the balance of 20 per cent.
“However this scenario changed drastically due to several challenges faced by marketers,’’ he said.