NNPC assures Nigerians of fuel availability

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, has allayed fears of a possible petroleum supply problem, following reports of a resurgence of queues in parts of the country.

Mele Kyari, Group Managing Director, NNPC, gave that assurance during a speech in Lagos on Tuesday at the Nigeria Energy Correspondents Association’s International Strategic Conference, NAEC, 2021.

Nigeria’s news agency, NAN, reports that the conference theme was “Oil Industry Law: Energy Transition and the Future of Nigeria’s Oil and Gas.”

Mr Kyari said the goal of the NNPC was to ensure Nigeria’s energy security and ensure the availability of petroleum products in the country.

He said: “As we speak, there is speculation about the fuel shortage in the media, but we have over 1.7 billion litres of Premium Motor Spirit in the country.

“We have an additional 2.3 billion litres coming up, so there is no shortage of supply as is speculated.

“Of course, there are pricing issues at some depots, but the government has no plans to revise the pricing structure.”

Mr Kyari said the United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP26, in Glasgow, Scotland, once again highlighted the challenges Nigeria and other African countries face in the global energy transition.

He said President Muhammadu Buhari, in his address to world leaders, called for energy justice for the continent and the need to harness available resources as a way
achieve the net-zero carbon goal by 2050.

The head of the NNPC noted that although Africa accounts for only about three per cent of global carbon emissions, the continent still has a responsibility to join the world in the fight against climate change.

According to him, Nigeria identified its abundant gas resources as its fuel for the energy transition, which inspired the declaration of the year 2021 to the year 2030 as the Gas Decade by the government.

Mr Kyari said: “We are making good progress in terms of the implementation of the PIA, which clearly paves the way for the transition.

“There is no way to achieve this feat without adequate infrastructure to transport the resources to where they will be used and that is why we are investing in massive gas infrastructure.”

He said the projects included the Obiafu-Obrikon-Oben, OB3 and Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano pipelines, which would boost gas use in the country.

In addition, Simbi Wabote, executive secretary of the NCDMB, said the adoption of the PIA has opened up the prospect of opportunities for the industry.

Mr Wabote, represented by Mr Tunde Adelana, Director of Monitoring and Evaluation, NCDMB, said the implementation would have a positive impact on local content development and host communities.

He added that it would also boost much-needed investment in the oil and gas industry.

Earlier in his welcome speech, Olu Phillips, President of NAEC, said statistics showed that more than 100,000 people die in Nigeria each year as a result of inhaling indoors waste gases.

Mr Phillips said this informed the global energy transition, adding that the Nigerian government is responding by emphasizing the optimal use of the country’s gas resources.