Nigeria: FG Opts for Massive Importation of Fuel

With the imminent zero production of petroleum products in the country following the state of all the refineries, the Federal Government has decided to embark on massive importation of fuel to prevent scarcity and queues at the filling stations.

Stakeholders in the downstream sector of oil industry had expressed fears that the inactive state of the four refineries, following pipeline breaks and epileptic power supply, could pave the way for severe scarcity of products.
The Group General Manager (Group Public Affairs) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr. Levi Ajuonuma, told THISDAY yesterday that fears of a crippling scarcity were “erroneous” because the Federal Government has put a comprehensive plan in place to increase the level of importation of products to meet local consumption need.

“We have professional planners handling the issue of products in NNPC. The issue is very simple. Since the refineries are not producing at optimum at the moment, it means government must increase importation of petroleum products so that scarcity may not occur as speculated. When people speculate about scarcity, that is the time vandals would break the pipelines to divert products and people would begin to store fuel that could burn their houses,” he said.

AllAfrica