Operators Protest Marginalization, as NNPC Floods Market with Kerosene

Some stakeholders in the downstream of the oil sector have criticized the method by which the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) is using to distribute kerosene into the market saying that there is an evident attempt to cut some segments of independent marketers from the process.
Some marketers who operate at the popular Ibru yard along Apapa-Oshodi expressway complained to Shipping Position Weekly correspondent last week that the Ibafon jetty has the largest number of depot and that there is a higher concentration from marketers to the place than other areas.
They complained that Capital Oil and Gas should not be the only depot that should be given 12.2 million litres to distribute and that NNPC should ensure that the allocation goes to the rest of the depot on the axis.
A marketer who pleaded anonymity told our correspondent that “we have not seen the product circulating the way it should, by using only Capital oil and gas to distribute kerosene in this complex, it will create a kind of rush in this place and the traffic implication will also be grave, NNPC in this kind of situation should not focus only on their accredited depots, they should allow it to flow round in order to tackle the scarcity effectively”.
The NNPC last week had disclosed that it has successfully released 50 million litres of kerosene into the Nigerian market to ease- off the scarcity of the product in the country.
A breakdown of the distribution method as given by the spokesperson for the NNPC, Dr. Levi Ajuonuma shows that 18million litres of the kerosene that was loaded from NIPCO tank farms is for the independent marketers, 12.2 million litres out of Capital Oil which is meant for the NNPC retail stations and 17.4 million litres were pumped to Mosimi depot from Atlas cove to supply Ibadan, Ore, Ilorin and other southwest states.
According to Ajuonuma “already, about 1,446 trucks of kerosene have been trucked into the market and this surpasses the national daily consumption figure of 8-10 million litres”.
He advised Nigerians to buy kerosene, from NNPC retail outlets and other officially approved selling points to avoid being victims of kerosene explosion.
Continuing, the spokes person lamented the activities of petroleum product adulterators who have started taking advantage of the situation to benefit their selfish interest.
“I wish to urge kerosene consumers in the country to buy the products from NNPC mega stations, NNPC retail outlets and other accredited filling stations as the attention of the NNPC has been drawn to the activities of some unscrupulous dealers who adulterate the product, this is totally unacceptable and the NNPC will do everything within its powers to stem this ugly situation” he assured.