The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) has appealed to Nigerians not to panic over fuel scarcity as there are over 1.7 billion litres of petrol in stock yet to be dispensed.
In the statement signed by the NNPC spokesman Garba Deen Muhammad which was obtained by Africa Today News, New York, the national oil company pointed out that it was unnecessary to entertain any fear of scarcity of petrol throughout the festive season and beyond.
‘The general public is hereby advised not to engage in panic buying of Premium Motor Spirit, more commonly known as petrol.
‘The NNPC has over 1.7 billion litres of petrol in stock and more product is expected to arrive into the country daily over the coming weeks and months”, the national oil company said in a statement on Monday’.
Read Also: FEC Approves NNPC’s Request To Fix 21 Federal Roads
The statement further stated that the NNPC was also not aware of any plan by government to cause an increase in the pump price of petroleum.
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has made that declaration last week, it added.
It said: ‘In view of these assurances therefore, the NNPC is advising motorists and other consumers of petrol to maintain their regular pattern of the purchase of petrol without getting into a panic situation that may send the wrong signals around the country.
‘The NNPC is also engaging all stakeholders to ensure smooth supply and distribution of products to every part of the country during the festive season and beyond.’
Meanwhile, the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed, has announced that complete deregulation of the downstream sector of the oil and gas industry would kick off unfailingly by July 2022.
The Minister, who made this revelation on Monday at a panel session during the 27th Nigerian Economic Summit (NES#27) in Abuja, said the Federal Government would cater for subsidy on petrol only in the first six months of 2022.
AFRICA TODAY NEWS, NEW YORK