By Sebastine Obasi
Effective January 2016, any petroleum truck not tagged or fixed with trackers will not be allowed to load products, the Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Emanuel Ibe Kachikwu has said.

The minister said the move is to forestall the continued diversion of trucks after loading, which is one of the consequences of the current scarcity situation in Nigeria.

Kachikwu, who said this while on tour of some petroleum depots in Apapa, Lagos, Tuesday, decried the sabotage and unpatriotic attitude of Nigerians, who hoard or divert petroleum products to create scarcity and inflict pains on innocent citizens.

According to him, about 26 cargoes with 30,000 metric tonne capacity of petroleum products are being expected into the country in a few days to mitigate the effect of the current scarcity.

He also advised Nigerians not to embark on panic buying as the products will be sufficient for the December period and the New Year, adding that filling stations and depots that engage in sharp practices and product diversion will be sanctioned by the Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR.

More details soon