NNPC orders evacuation of 5,000 metric tonnes of kerosene from Warri Refinery

[Mirror]

...Oil dealers, PTD protest, accuse politicians

The directive by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, ordering evacuation of 5,000 metric tonnes of Dual Purpose Kerosene, DPK, popularly known as kerosene from the ailing Warri Refinery and Petrochemical Company, WRPC is causing ripples in the industry.

The latest order to the management of the Warri Area Office of the Pipelines and Products Marketing Company, PPMC, a subsidiary of NNPC, directed that the DPK be released to a politician (name withheld) at regulated price from Warri Refinery Jetty.

It will be recalled that two vessels had evacuated 10,000 metric tonnes of DPK from Warri Refinery Jetty in the past two months, in questionable circumstances. Reliable sources in PPMC told National Mirror that the third vessel had been programmed to load 5,000 metric tonnes of the product in the next few days. Findings by National Mirror revealed that some prominent politicians were beneficiaries of the frequent order by Abuja asking the helmsmen of PPMC to release DPK to non-oil dealers.

Specifically, the politicians were reported to have secured frequent approval from the Ministry of Petroleum Resources and NNPC to move the DPK to some private depots in Lagos and other parts of the country, from where it would be sold to oil dealers at astronomical rates Sources told our correspondent yesterday that one of the two vessels, which departed Warri with 10,000 metric tonnes was eventually diverted to a private depot in Oghara, the headquarters of Ethiope West Local Government Area of Delta State.

The vessel was reported to have moved 50 nautical miles in Lagos before its content was emptied into another vessel and brought to Oghara as imported DPK. Investigation by National Mirror revealed that the leadership of the major and independent oil dealers as well as Petroleum Tanker Drivers, PTD in Delta State have protested the latest decision.

It was gathered that the stakeholders at Warri Refinery Depot were of the view that the timing of the decision was wrong in view of the recent shut down of WRPC due to operational constraints.

It will be recalled that the PPMC had cut down the volume of petroleum products available to the public following the closure of WRPC. The stakeholders considered the action as a move to further deplete the stock of kerosene at the refinery.

Besides, they accused politicians of being unpatriotic as they masquerade as fuel importers. However, the management of PPMC was reported to have told the protesting stakeholders that the matter was beyond it, adding that it was merely carrying out an order from the above.

National Mirror

[Folami David]

What NNPC has said is definately the right thing. I just hope it would be carried out cos Nigerians can be very sturbbon.