- Saturday, May 4, 2024
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The Nigerian Midstream and
Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), which the Petroleum
Industry Act (PIA) mandates to oversee the operation of the industry and the
Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) that is the sole importer
and supplier of the product have kept the information on consumption volumes to
their chests.
Since its former General
Manager, Apollo Kimichi retired, no one is ready to speak for the Authority.
The most senior officer in the
unit, Seiyefa Osanebi, whom The Nation asked for the data since on 23rd
December, 2023, said the concerned directors were observing their Christmas and
Year holiday.
She delayed the report till
yesterday (Thursday) that the directors were yet to provide her the
information.
On the other hand, the NNPCL
Chief Communications Officer, Mr. Olufemi Soneye ignored The Nation's phone
calls and WhatsApp messages that sought the information from the state owned
oil firm.
While both the regulator and
the operators sit on the industry information, private investors in the
industry grope in the dark for the data to no avail.
The question has become
germane as Nigerians are weighing their relief from removal of petrol subsidy.
Besides, the people are eager
to ascertain the figure for planning purposes.
Since importation of the
product is import dependent, Nigerians want to know how much forex they have
saved from the removal of subsidy. They also want to know to what extent
smugglers have given up on the illicit trade of the product. The figure will
also show the degree of lifestyle
change after the exit from the subsidy.
It is however unbelievable and
unfortunate that key players in the downstream industry cannot state the volume
of petrol they distribute daily.
For instance, the Independent
Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) National President, Alhaji
Abubakar Maigandi and the National Secretary, Chief John Okeocha, whom The
Nation asked the question simply refered our correspondent to the NMDPRA and
NNPCL.
According to Maigandi,
"Since it is only NNPC that is distributing this product, they are the
only people who know the consumption rate.
We only know the consumption
of the independent petroleum marketers. We don't know that of Major Marketers,
NNPC and DAPMMAN.
"All I know is that the
consumption rate has seriously reduced.
Asked by what per cent, he said
it has reduced by 50per cent.
"The demand for my petrol
has reduced by half because of the cost. Contact the NMDPRA for the actual
figure."
Similarly, speaking with The
Nation on phone, Okeocha could not state the average volume of petrol consumed
in Nigeria daily.
He however noted that from his
retail outlets, the demand for the product has declined significantly consequent
upon the removal of subsidy.
His words: "I cannot
specifically tell you how many litres Nigeria consume in a day. But the fact is
that the volume of consumption has generally dropped since the partial removal
of subsidy.
"You know the product has
gone higher now. You know before the removal of subsidy many West African
countries used to benefit from Nigeria because many products were leaving the
country to Cameroun and many other regional countries.
"But the removal of
subsidy or partial subsidy the product has gone high and the trafficking of
petrol has grossly reduced. So the level of consumption has come down."
On the refineries, the NMDPRA also
refused to provide information on how many modular refineries are producing in
the country.
It also denied The Nation
information on the total volume of crude oil being supplied to the refineries.
The Authority also failed to
provide information on how many litres of petrol the refineries can produce.
Courtesy:
The Nation
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