By Etuka Sunday
The effort of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to end cross border smuggling of petroleum Products in the country has received a boost as the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) has pledged its support to the corporation to end the menace.
National President of RTEAN, Comrade Osakpawan Eriyo, who made the pledge at the National Executive Council meeting of the Association in Abuja said, as stakeholders in the Downstream Petroleum Sector, his association would support “any initiative by the NNPC to restore sanity to the Industry and we will be with you to fish out every unscrupulous element in the system’’.
He assured that no member of his association would engage or aid cross border smuggling, hoarding and products diversion, saying the present NNPC management has brought about positive changes in the downstream as Nigerians no longer queue endlessly for petrol at filling stations.
Presenting an award to the Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Dr. Maikanti Baru, for Leadership Innovation and Repositioning, comrade Eriyo said “we are happy because there are positive changes in the country’s Petroleum Industry, we support you, if a man does what is right he deserves an award, hence we decided to honour the GMD and his team’’.
Speaking earlier on the state of the Petroleum Downstream, Group Managing Director of the NNPC, represented by the Managing Director of Petroleum Products Marketing Company (PPMC), Mr. Umar Ajiya, disclosed that to sustain the present seamless supply of petrol across the country, the NNPC is adding additional 2 billion litres of PMS to its stock every month with effect from April 2019.
He said all products were available and at government approved prices, emphasizing that the price of petrol remainedN145.00 per litre, while calling on RETEAN not to allow their members to be shortchanged and report any marketer who contravenes the law to the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR).
The NNPC, he said, had embarked on the revamp of its refineries which began with the Port Harcourt Refining Company, PHRC, in order to reduce the importation of petroleum products in the country.
Mr. Ajiya received the award on behalf of the GMD.
Speaking on the awards, the Secretary General of RTEAN, Comrade Yusuf Adeniyi, said the recipients were honored not ‘’because of the office they occupy but because of the impact of their stewardship in the lives of Nigerians’’.
