NNPC Allays Fear of Scarcity, Says Kaduna Refinery Is Fully Producing

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has assured Nigerians, especially those in the Northern part of the country, that there is no cause for alarm over the scarcity of petroleum product, saying that the queues presently at filling stations are artificial and that the NNPC has 32-days petroleum product sufficiency in the country.
This assurance was given last week by the Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Mr. Austen Oniwon at the official opening ceremony of the Nigerian Oil and Gas 2012 Conference (NOG) in Abuja.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has assured Nigerians, especially those in the Northern part of the country, that there is no cause for alarm over the scarcity of petroleum product, saying that the queues presently at filling stations are artificial and that the NNPC has 32-days petroleum product sufficiency in the country.
This assurance was given last week by the Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Mr. Austen Oniwon at the official opening ceremony of the Nigerian Oil and Gas 2012 Conference (NOG) in Abuja.
The GMD also said that, petroleum products were actually sent from Kaduna refinery to Suleja farm tank, adding that once the tank is full the product will be channeled to Kano.
“Kaduna refinery is back on stream we actually sent products from Kaduna refinery to Suleja tank farm last week, subsequently as soon as the Suleja tank is full we are going to send petroleum products to Kano and Gusau,’’ he said
Speaking on petroleum scarcity in Abuja, Oniwon assures residents of sufficient products before the week runs out, adding that the scarcity is mainly in the cities of Abuja.
“You will see that all other areas apart from Abuja have petroleum products. If you move along the airport road you will see that there is no queue. Oniwon however confirmed that NNPC has 32-days petroleum product sufficiency in the country, adding that Nigerians should not involve in panic buying.
“We want to assure Nigerian s that as at today we have 32-days supply sufficient of petroleum products in the country. “There is sufficient petroleum products in the country especially the PMS.  Even If we don’t import, the products we have is enough and will last the country for another 32-days,’’ he added.
Oniwon however warned that the country needs to focus more on the gas sector and that if the country did not lay more emphasis on the opportunities in the gas industry there is every possibility that the country might lose out.
 “Also we need to work a bit harder on gas, the way we are looking at the future gas is going to be the future of the country,’’ he added.