The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has once cautioned members of the public against engaging in panic buying of petrol, stressing that the national oil company has over 1.7 billion litres of the product in stock.
A statement by the NNPC Spokesman, Mr. Garba Muhammad, yesterday reiterated that the corporation was also not aware of any plan by government to cause an increase in the pump price of petroleum.
In addition, the NNPC stated that more product was expected to arrive in the country daily over the coming weeks and months, insisting that it was therefore unnecessary to entertain any fear of scarcity of petrol throughout the festive season and beyond.
“The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) had made that declaration last week.
“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,” it stated.
The NNPC said it was 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 Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Mallam Mele Kyari has said in the last two years, the organisation has automated its processes and systems.
Speaking when he received the 2020 Zik Prize for Public Service Leadership in Lagos, Kyari explained that this has reduced the cost of operations and enabled NNPC focus on delivering value to Nigerians, in line with its management vision of Transparency, Accountability & Performance Excellence (TAPE).
He added that the enactment of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) had placed huge responsibility on the NNPC to do things differently and be much more accountable to its shareholders, the over 200 million Nigerians.
Kyari said the Zik leadership award would spur him and his management team to work harder towards becoming an “international national oil company,” that is at par with its global peers.
The Public Policy Research & Analysis Centre (PPRAC), which organised the event, stated that Kyari was deserving of the award for turning the NNPC from a loss-making organisation into a profit- making venture.
Speaking on behalf of the Centre, Chief Mac Wabara said this was made possible by the various reforms Kyari instituted at the corporation through transparency and accountability.
“Kyari continues to seamlessly transform the operations of NNPC, including deepening domestic gas utilisation, rehabilitation of the nation’s refineries and public disclosure of NNPC accounts, the first in NNPC’s 44 years of existence,” Wabara noted.
“Under Kyari’s watch at the NNPC, the company declared a profit after tax of N287 billion in 2020 after losses were reduced from N803 billion in 2018 to N1.7 billion in 2019. This is unprecedented in the history of the NNPC,” he added.
He further explained that Kyari also consistently played a huge role in the enactment of the PIA, stressing that with the coming of the legislation, the NNPC is now well-positioned to operate efficiently, like its global peers.
According to Muhammad, at the event were the Emir of Kano, Aminu Ado Bayero; Emir of Lafia, Justice Sidi Bage (rtd) and Kebbi State Governor, Abubakar Bagudu.
Other recipients of the award included: the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu; Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule; former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief Pius Anyim; Minister of State for Health, Senator Olorunimbe Mamora; Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Bashir Jamo as well as Managing Director of the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), Mr. Uche Orji.
Established in 1994 by the PPRAC and now in its 26th edition, the Zik Prize in Leadership is aimed at highlighting Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe’s legacy of patriotic fervour and nationalist vision
– Thisday