NNPC Inaugurates 356 Fuel stations

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) said last week that it has inaugurated 356 filling stations all around the country in a move to ensure adequate and prompt supply and distribution of fuel to the consumers.
In addition to this, Shipping Position Weekly also gathered that about 10 independent marketers’ tank farms have also been adopted by the corporation in order to boost importation and supply of the product. This arrangement is based on a lease agreement with the depot to use their facilities to bring in products, store them and circulate on behalf of the NNPC.
Speaking at the NNPC special day at the recently concluded Lagos International trade fair, the Group Managing Director of NNPC, Mr. Austen Oniwon represented by the Executive Director of services, National Engineering and Technical Company Limited, Mr. Ishaya Timothy Bamaiyi, Oniwon had disclosed that the corporation has so far invested in about 304 filling stations to ensure prompt product circulation.
Apart from this, 40 mega stations were also listed to have been constructed including 12 floating stations with 7 of them scattered around the riverine communities across the country.
In his remark, the GMD said that the move will go a long way in creating employment and that “our vision position is to create value for our stakeholders, but more importantly it also aligns us with the priorities of national economic recovery and development”.
Our correspondent also gathered that the NNPC on monthly basis hold meetings with the management of the different tank farms which it has adopted to use in distributing the product so as to ensure thorough accountability and give up to date record of sales.
A source at the end of one of such meetings recently told our correspondent that the tank farms are not less than 10 including Capital oil and gas which currently has the largest storage capacity in the country including a five fingers jetty; others include Ramaniyya oil and gas, Obat, Techno oil, Bovas, NIPCO as well as Folawiyo energy limited.
According to the source, the idea is to complement the refined product pool in the country and also to avoid fuel scarcity pending the time the deregulation exercise will come on stream and the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB).
“I believe the reasons for choosing these independent depots is because they are more organized” he said.