In a deft move designed to ensure efficient distribution and
country-wide penetration of petroleum products, the Nigerian National
Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has commenced nationwide consultation with
stakeholders aimed at drumming support for the planned expansion of its
retail outlets across the country.
Under the expansion plan, NNPC
is seeking to expand the market share of its retail business to an
appreciable level from the current 12 percent by building a mega station
in every Senatorial district in the country in the months ahead.
Speaking
during the flag-off of consultation during the week with a visit to the
Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, the Group Executive
Director, Commercial and Investment, Dr. Babatunde Victor Adeniran who
led the NNPC delegation said the purpose of the visit was to solicit for
the support of Kaduna State Government to provide lands for building
new NNPC petrol stations in the state.
“Our mission is to build
three mega stations, one each in the three senatorial districts of the
state. We need about five thousand square meters for each of the
station. Each station will have six pumps including that of Liquefied
Petroleum Gas which is cooking gas,” the GED said.
Governor
El-Rufai who was visibly elated expressed gratitude to NNPC management
for deciding to flag-off the outlets expansion programme in Kaduna Sate,
adding: “Any time NNPC comes visiting, it comes with good news”.
The
governor who gave express approval for lands to be made available NNPC
for the mega stations said: “I want to assure you that we will give you
all the support that you need. The State Director of Lands will take the
NNPC project team round the state to look at alternative sites. I don’t
know how many you are building, we can give you as many as ten sites if
you want”.
He stated that the supply of petroleum products was a
key requirement for the prosperity of the country, adding that he was
happy that NNPC was ready to invest heavily in the retail business to
ensure that Nigerians are not exploited by private sector marketers.
He
pledged the support of the state government to the success of the NNPC
in general and the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company (KRPC) in
particular.
Speaking in similar vein during the consultative visit
to Kano State, Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje described NNPC as an
indispensable business ally for socio-economic growth of Kano State and
the country at large.
“Indeed, collaborating with the NNPC is
indispensable if we are to achieve socio-economic development of the
State. Kano State being the largest in terms of population and also the
commercial nerve center of the North, there is no better organization to
have an alliance with than the NNPC,” Ganduje said.
He said he
has already directed the Commissioner of Lands to work with the NNPC
project team in selecting sites that meet the commercial requirement of
the new filling stations in all the senatorial districts of the state.
“We
know the philosophy behind establishing such retail stations.
Considering that you are the custodians of crude oil and petroleum
products in the country, one may wonder why you are into retail
business. But those of us in governance understand the situation because
if you leave everything to the marketers, then the problem of control
especially of the price and availability will become difficult”, Ganduje
enthused, adding that NNPC mega stations have integrity and do not
require any enforcement for compliance on approved prices of petroleum
products.
In a related development, the Governor of Jigawa State,
Alhaji Badaru Abubakar, has pledged support for the NNPC retail outlet
expansion project.
Gov. Abubakar who spoke when he received the
NNPC delegation for a consultative meeting on the retail expansion
project said he has directed the Ministry of Lands to provide
alternative sites that meet the stipulated requirements for NNPC to
choose from.
Credit: PM NEWS
Dr. Adeniran expressed gratitude to the governors for
their unwavering support for the aspirations and success of the
Corporation.
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