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Petrol: FG insists on N165 pump price, advises against panic buying

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Petrol Subsidy, Despite unavailability, Crosses the N400bn monthly mark– NNPCL

(L-R)Mr Isiyaku Abdullahi, Managing Director, PPMC, Mr Adetunji Adeyemi, Group Executive Director, Downstream, NNPC Ltd., Mr Ernest Umunna, Site Manager, TotalEnergies, Mr Ugbugo Ukoha, Executive Director, Distribution Systems, Storage and Retail Infrastructure, NMDPRA and Mr Garba Deen Muhammad, Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, NNPC Ltd. during an inspection visit to TotalEnergies Depot in Apapa, Lagos on Tuesday

…IPMAN wants petroleum authorities to enforce approved price on private depot owners***

The Federal Government says the fixed pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) remains N165 per litre as stipulated in the petroleum product pricing template.

The government also advised Nigerians against panic buying of PMS, also known as petrol, saying that the country currently had over 2 billion litres of PMS in various depots.

Also read: Fuel queues return to Lagos as IPMAN members shut stations

This was made known by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd., and the Pipelines and Product Marketing Company after visiting jetties in Apapa, Lagos, on Tuesday.

The depots visited by the top officials of the agencies were NIPCO Depot and TotalEnergies Depot.

The newsmen report that the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) had on Monday advised its members to adjust the pump price of PMS to a minimum of N180 per litre.

The marketers had said the move was necessitated by the increment in the ex-depot price of PMS by some private depots where they were buying the product from.

However, Mr Ugbugo Ukoha, Executive Director, Distribution Systems, Storage and Retail Infrastructure (NMDPRA) maintained that petrol was a regulated product and urged marketers to comply with the pricing template.

Ukoha said the conflict between Russia and Ukraine had led to an increment in the cost of Automotive Gas Oil (diesel), which was a critical product used in transporting petroleum products from the depots to the retail outlets.

He said: “So when we observed that this poses a big challenge in the movement of other products, we made the representation to the Minister of State for Petroleum and Mr President graciously approved that the freight rate for trucks is increased.

“There’s an N10 addition, which we will apply to the different routes to enable trucks to move to docks easily with less burden.

“With these kinds of efforts from the government, we can only continue to appeal to operators within this industry to play by the rules.

“PMS is a regulated product and the prices are fixed.

The ex-depot price is known.

The pump price remains N165 and the authority is ever ready to enforce those rules.

“So, we will continue to urge Nigerians to keep within these operating rules.”

Ukoha said the focus of the stakeholders in the next few days would be to close the supply gaps and resolve the ongoing scarcity of petrol as soon as possible.

Also, Mr Adetunji Adeyemi, Group Executive Director, Downstream, NNPC Ltd., said the purpose of the visit to the depots was to get first-hand information on the challenges responsible for the current scarcity.

Adeyemi said despite the challenges globally in terms of the supply chain, NNPC had continued to provide petroleum products, specifically PMS to Nigerians.

“Today we have about 2 billion litres of PMS in-country, which is about 34 days sufficiency. So, there is sufficient petrol in the country.

“We are working with the entire stakeholders and players in the downstream sector to ensure that this product gets to the distribution channels and also the stations.

“We want Nigerians to continue to enjoy free flow of petroleum products,” he said.

Mr Isiyaku Abdullahi, Managing Director, PPMC, said the company had been supporting transporters and marketers with diesel in form of palliative to ensure the smooth distribution of PMS and ameliorate the suffering of Nigerians.

Abdullahi said three vessels carrying about 60 metric tons of PMS were currently discharging at the Apapa jetty, which would be further transported to Lagos and other parts of the country to restore normalcy.

On their part, Mr Suresh Kumar, Managing Director, NIPCO and Mr Ernest Umunna, Site Manager, TotalEnergies, assured Nigerians of product availability at their depots.

They also promised to carry out 24-hour trucking operations to ensure that the scarcity situation in Lagos was resolved within the next few days.

In another development, the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has urged the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) to mandate private depot owners to sell petroleum products at approved government prices.

This is contained in a statement by the IPMAN Chairman, Kano Chapter, Alhaji Bashir Danmalam, on Tuesday in Kano.

He said the call was necessary to check flagrant and indiscriminate increases in the ex-depot price.

Danmalam said unless the NMDPRA ensured private depot owners sell the product at the approved price, they would continue to dispense the product to marketers at a higher price.

He also commended the Federal Government for the recent upward review of petroleum products’ transporters’ freight rate.

According to Danmalam, the gesture would assist in checking the challenges associated with the transportation of petroleum products across the country.

He also refuted the claim that about N1 billion was paid to Pipelines and Product Marketing Company (PPMC).

“I challenge all those making such claims to bring out relevant receipts for the payment of such money to enable the union to take up the matter.

“In February 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, NNPC introduced ‘customer express’ whereby payments for the purchase of petroleum products are done online.

“And the NNPC then set up a committee which ensured that all those with tickets paid manually, were given the product.

“I was a member of that committee which supervised the supply of the product to those marketers who paid manually before the introduction of customer express.

“So, to my knowledge, the only products not delivered by the NNPC is on the recent payments made.

“NNPC has since stopped collecting money from marketers, except through the customer express when it’s sure of having the products in any depot across the country,” Danmalam said.

 

Economy

NOSDRA, Stakeholders Set To Tackle Oil Spillage – Emir of Keffi

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The National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), has called on stakeholders in the petroleum industry to ensure the prevention of oil spillages in Nigeria.

The Emir of Keffi, Dr Shehu Yamusa III, who is the Chairman of, Governing Board, NOSDRA, made the call at a stakeholders’ meeting with oil companies in Nigeria on Thursday in Abuja.

Yamusa said that operators in the petroleum sector shared a common goal of ensuring an effective response to oil spills and sustainable management of the Nigerian environment for national development.

The Chairman was represented at the occasion by Mr. Idris Musa, the Director-General of, the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA).

He added that the occurrence of oil spillage could be prevented through compliance with extant laws, regulations and guidelines on environmental management in the petroleum industry.

Yamusa, however, said that stakeholders would discuss action plans for the management of oil spills in 2023 with an emphasis on reviewing regulatory procedures regarding oil spill reporting.

Others, he said, included the conduct of Joint Investigation Visits (JIV), Clean-Up and remediation of oil spill-impacted sites, as well as the conduct of Post Spill Impact Assessment (PSIA), among others.

“The transparent conduct of these processes is very important, not just for the integrity and credibility of NOSDRA, but also for sustainable environment management, fair, just and amicable resolution of disputes that may arise therefrom.

Dr Shehu Yamusa III,

“The vision statement of the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency is to create, nurture and sustain a zero tolerance for oil spill incidents.

“This can only be achieved if players in the industry take measures to prevent oil spillages through compliance with extant laws, regulations, and guidelines on environmental management in the petroleum industry,” he said.

In a remark, the Director-General, of NOSDRA, Mr. Idris Musa, said that oil spill management “is of paramount importance to the agency and other stakeholders in the oil sector.

”We are actually aware of the devastating impacts that oil spills have on ecosystems, wildlife, local economies, the well-being and livelihoods of host communities.

“It is a collective responsibility that we must shoulder together, as stakeholders representing various sectors to tackle this pressing issue head-on and work towards effective and efficient solutions,” he said.

Meanwhile, Musa, while speaking to journalists at the event, said the agency had made an impact in cleaning oil spills in oil-producing areas through the Clean-Up and remediation of oil spill-impacted sites.

“As of today, I can tell you that NOSDRA as an agency, has certified about 40 cleaned-up impacted sites in Ogoni land and there are almost the same number in progress at different levels of operations.

“None is less than 50 percent completed. In another few months, we will be recording about 70 to 80 percent clean-up sites in Ogoni land,” he said.

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Economy

Subsidy Strike: NLC Condemns National Industrial Court Ruling As FG Secures Injunction 

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NLC mobilizes workers for industrial action in Rivers

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has rejected the ruling of the National Industrial Court (NIC) of favouring the Federal Government against the interest of the masses and workers in the country.

Mr Joe Ajaero, NLC President said this in a communique jointly signed with Mr Emmanuel Ugboaja, General Secretary of the Congress at the end of an emergency National Executive Council (NEC) meeting on Tuesday in Abuja.

It said that the NEC meeting was called to discuss the outcome of the dialogue between the NLC and the Federal Government on the petroleum product price hike.

The NLC had on June 3 ordered a nationwide strike that was supposed to commence on June 7 over the hike in fuel price.

It would also be recalled that the federal government had procured a Court injunction restraining Congress from proceeding with the proposed nationwide strike.

The NLC said NEC in session resolved that there was need to show government that it was important to comply with laid down laws and court rulings.

“Especially as it concerns obedience to the rulings of the Courts and their brazen disregard to the 2023 Appropriation Act.

“To therefore support and accept the decision of the leadership of Congress to suspend the proposed strike action in compliance with the flawed rulings of the NIC.

“Also to allow negotiations to flow freely and enable final agreement during or after the 19th June, 2023, negotiation round with the federal government.

“To however register in strongest terms its disgust and disapproval with the ruling of the NIC for its continuous weaponisation of the instrument of Exparte injunction in favour of government.

“That is against the interests of Nigerian workers in defiance of the position of the Supreme Court on the use of this instrument,” it said.

Congress further stated that all Affiliates and State Councils of Congress are hereby directed to suspend further action and mobilisation until the outcome of the final negotiations.

The communiqué commended all Affiliates and State Councils on their robust mobilaaisation towards a successful nationwide strike and to also remain vigilant in case there is a need to continue.

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Economy

Fuel Subsidy: Obaseki Reduces Edo Workers’ Days To 3

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Benin River Port Will Enhance Economic Diversification- Obaseki

Hikes Minimum Wage To N40,000***

Godwin Obaseki of Edo on Tuesday reduced the number of work days that civil and public servants would have to commute to their workplaces from five days to three days a week, amongst other measures.

In a statement made available to newsmen in Benin, Obaseki said the measure was part of efforts to ameliorate the sufferings currently faced by the people in the wake of the rise in prices of goods and services occasioned by the fuel subsidy removal.

“In the wake of fuel subsidy removal by the Federal Government, fuel prices have increased astronomically, leading to a rise in prices of goods and services and overall cost of living.

“The Edo State Government shares the pains of our people and wants to assure everyone that we are standing with them in these very challenging times.

“We want to reassure our people that we will do all within our powers as a sub-national government to reduce the pains and ameliorate the sufferings our people are currently facing due to the current realities.

“As a proactive government, we have since taken the step to increase the minimum wage paid to workers in Edo State from the approved N30,000 to N40,000.

“We hope to increase it even further if more allocation accrues to our state from the Federal Government in view of the expected savings from the removal of the fuel subsidy,” the governor said.

According to him, we know the hardship that has been caused by this policy which has increased the cost of transportation, eating deep into the wages of workers in the state.

465 returned migrants to benefit from IOM intervention project in Edo
*Gov. Godwin Obaseki of Edo

“Therefore, the Edo State Government is hereby reducing the number of work days that civil and public servants will have to commute to their workplaces from five days to three days a week till further notice.

“Workers will now work from home two days every week.

“Similarly, for teachers and parents, their commuting to school will be reduced as government is working on deepening the EdoBEST@Home initiative.

“To create more virtual classrooms, thereby, reducing the cost of commuting on parents, teachers and pupils.

“The Edo SUBEB will provide details on this initiative in the coming days,’’ Obaseki said.

He said that to lower the rising cost of energy on the people, the state government would continue to work with the electricity companies in the state to improve power supply to homes and businesses.

“Similarly, fiber optics connections are b4eing made available to help our people work remotely, thereby reducing their cost of transportation,” he said.

Obaseki called on all to remain calm and go about their daily businesses lawfully while government intensified effort to alleviate the burden of fuel price.

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