NNPC indicts marketers for failure to import fuel

The blame game over the crippling fuel situation continued yesterday.
On Tuesday, the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association (DAPPMA) blamed the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) for the shortage, claiming that its members’ “depots are empty” despite the NNPC’s claim that it had excess products to supply.
Yesterday, the NNPC described the DAPPMA’s statement as “unfortunate”.
In a statement, the oil giant said: “The 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) 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 added that the statement by DAPPMA that the problem 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 as many of DAPPMA members patronise DSDP international counterparts as the corporation.
“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 have not been able to do so, leaving NNPC as the sole supplier of PMS to the Nigerian market.
“The NNPC assures the public that despite the increase it effected in the supply of PMS in the December 2017, it has nonetheless, programmed to supply 1.2billion litres of the white products in January 2018, translating to about 40million litres of PMS supply per day. Ordinarily, Nigeria consumes about 700 trucks (about 27million – 30million) litres per day.
“Despite the current challenges, Nigerians are reassured that there is no plan to increase PMS pump price above N145/litre and that NNPC will 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.
“All stakeholders are implored to support the efforts of government to bring a speedy end to the current fuel distribution challenges being experienced in parts of the country as this is not the time to play the blame game.”
DAPPMA declined to react to the NNPC’s indictment.
Its Executive Secretary Olufemi Adewole told our reporter last night: “We will respond at the appropriate time.”
|The Nation