The federal government has blamed cross-border smugglers for the country’s ongoing fuel shortage.
It reassured Nigerians that the country has enough fuel to last more than 1.6 billion litres.
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, NMDPRA Corporation Communications department, said this in a statement released Friday.
“The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, NMDPRA wishes to reassure all Nigerians that there is a PMS sufficiency of over 1.6 billion litres as of 26th January 2023, both on land and marine.
“The current distribution hitch is heightened by activities of cross-border smugglers, who divert PMS meant for the Nigerian market to neighboring countries where PMS prices are significantly higher than Nigeria’s regulated price. We are engaging and collaborating with Nigeria Customs Services to address this issue”, the statement contained.
To address the lingering fuel scarcity, the Commission stated that it would make minor adjustments to the cost of product transportation to account for the impact of high AGO prices on transporters, while providing special diesel provisions to marketers at a reduced price.
It also stated that it would ensure the automation of product sales interface, the installation of a monitoring system in collaboration with government security agencies for distribution to retail outlets, extended operating hours at loading and depots and some selected filling stations, the rehabilitation of critical fuel distribution road network by the NNPCL through the federal government’s tax credit scheme, and regular stakeholder engagement.
