Kachikwu orders hitch-free fuel supply during Yuletide

Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources and Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), has directed the Pipelines and Products Marketing Company, PPMC and Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) to renew special supply intervention measures to ensure availability of fuel across the country during the holiday period.

The NNPC in a statement said the special supply intervention mechanism would entail the ramping up of additional supply via massive truck-out to guarantee product penetration to the nooks and crannies of the country.

NNPC stated that daily fuel truck out to locations such as Abuja, Kaduna, Kano, Enugu, Ibadan and Jos have been increased significantly to enhance free flow of products across the country.

The NNPC stated that it was consolidating its strategic alliance with some major depot owners and oil marketers with strong regional logistics outlay in those areas to ensure maximum infiltration of products especially in the hinterland ahead of the forthcoming Christmas and New year festivities.

While calling on members of the public to refrain from hoarding, product diversion and panic buying of petrol, the corporation noted that the intervention measure would help circumvent the challenges posed by the unavailability of pipelines for the transportation of petroleum products.

It noted that product diversion is an economic crime and warned that it will not hesitate to report offenders to the security agencies for prosecution.