The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has described as unfortunate, the denial by the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association (DAPPMA) that its members are responsible for the current fuel crisis.
NNPC had blamed current fuel crisis on marketers hoarding the product, thus causing fuel scarcity.
But in a statement issued on Tuesday, DAPPMA claimed that contrary to the claim by NNPC the marketers were not supplied fuel.
“Our members’ depots are presently empty,” DAPPMA claimed.
The group said “It is on record that any time NNPC assumes the role of sole importer there are issues of distribution, because it is marketers who own 80 per cent of the functional receptive facilities and retail outlets in Nigeria.”
Reacting to DAPPMA’s claim, however, in a statement by Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Mr Ndu Ughamadu, on Wednesday in Abuja, NNPC insisted that it had supplied DAPPMA members and others appreciable amount of fuel.
His words: “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).
“This effort is 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.’’
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NNPC said that the claim by DAPPMA that the current 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 was unfounded and self-indicting.
NNPC said in fact, many of DAPPMA members patronised the same DSDP international counterparts as the corporation.
NNPC said although the government had given concession to DAPPMA to obtain FOREX at an official rate of N305 per dollar for PMS import, it members had not made use of the opportunity.
The situation, it was said, led to the NNPC becoming the sole supplier of PMS to the Nigerian market.
NNPC gave the assurance that despite the amount of product it supplied in December, there would still be adequate supply of same in January 2018.
The corporation reiterated the promise that it would not increase the pump price above N145 per litre.
It also promised to continue to maintain ex–depot price of N133.28 per litre which guarantees the pump price not exceeding the N145 per litre capped by the government.
NNPC, in the statement, also appealed to all stakeholders to support the efforts of government to bring a speedy end to the current fuel distribution challenges in the country.
