By Marie-Therese Nanlong, JOS
The Jos Field Office, Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, NMDPRA, has debunked the insinuation by the Plateau State Government that petrol is being hoarded.
The body said the product was not available, but that efforts are being intensified to make it available.
NMDPRA also urged the government not to carry out the mandate they don’t have, as it is only its office that is mandated to license and monitor activities of petrol stations in the country.
It would be recalled that on Thursday, the Secretary to the Government of the State, SGS, Professor Danladi Atu in a statement in Jos said it “observed with great concern the activities of some filling stations hoarding petroleum products with the view to create artificial scarcity.”
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He called on the Management Committee on Road Traffic Administration and Vehicle Inspectors to “go round all filling stations to ensure that this act is forestalled.”
Professor Atu also directed a task force to “seal off any filling station found to be hoarding the products and auction same”.
‘Non-availability, not hoarding’
Reacting to the development, the Operations Controller, Jos Field Office, Ahmadu Fagge and his team went round petrol stations in Jos North, Jos South and Bassa local government areas and assured motorists the mild scarcity was as the result of non-availability not hoarding.
According to him, “We know there is no hoarding in the state, but unavailability of the product because of the spike of commuters during festive season.
“People are passing through the State; we envisaged this in the past three weeks that is why we have been on surveillance each day to see that no one hoards the product.
“There is an issue which was raised by the State Government about sealing of stations.
“That is not their mandate. The NMDPRA has the mandate to license stations and to monitor them in the country.
“With due respect to the State Government, we are on top of the situation. Between yesterday and today, we have received about 1.6million litres of petrol.
“So the issue of non-availability is easing out. Citizens should not engage in panic buying, the product is now available.”
Meanwhile, a Manager with Dipdat petrol station along the Bukuru expressway, Gabriel Norbert confirmed that there is no need to worry.
He said: “We are not selling because we don’t have. But we are expecting the product.
“We had a challenge because our truck broke down on the way.
“Hopefully, by next week we will have enough product to dispense to the buyers.”
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