Kaduna Refinery begins petrol production of 3.2m litres daily      

With Nigerians still grappling with the problem of petrol scarcity, the general expectation that long queues at fuel stations across the country would soon ease-off has grown stronger, with the commencement Wednesday of petrol production by the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company (KRPC) at the rate of 3.2 million litres daily.

In a statement signed by Ohi Alege, group general manager, group public affairs division, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), confirmed that the KRPC, which commenced production over the weekend with an initial PMS yield of about 1.5 million litres, had ramped up its daily yield to 3.2 million litres.

“The injection of this volume into the system will significantly impact ongoing special intervention efforts designed to bring relief to motorists across the country,” the Corporation stated.

Meanwhile, less than 48 hours after orders by Ibe Kachikwu, minister of state for petroleum resources, to NNPC staff to intensify their monitoring of fuel distribution and retail dealings at filling stations across the country, the initiative had started yielding positive results in Abuja and its environs.

The situation at most filling stations visited in Abuja remains calm and orderly as staff members of the Corporation were seen helping to fast track the process of dispensing fuel to motorists.

Speaking shortly after visiting some retail outlets within FCT’s central area, NNPC’s group executive director, commercial and investment, Babatunde Victor Adeniran, said the exercise had so far recorded some levels of success.

“Our staff are putting in all their best to ensure that orderliness is restored in most of the filling stations. They are also there to ensure that nobody creates a situation that will hamper the discharge of products to Nigerians. So far, they are doing well in this regard,” Adeniran assured.

He explained that the exercise was a hands-on approach designed to ensure that Nigerians do not suffer unnecessarily at the hands of unscrupulous marketers, adding that the situation would soon be improved upon.

He also called on security agencies to complement the efforts of NNPC at the filling stations.

According to him, “at one of the filling stations in Asokoro today, the police came to assist us to clear out some motorists trying to jump the queue. That is most commendable.”

It would be recalled that on Monday while addressing an emergency meeting of senior staff of the corporation at the NNPC Towers, Kachikwu ordered the deployment of NNPC staff to filling stations across the country for effective monitoring of the fuel distribution system.

Kachikwu also assured that there was sufficient petrol for Nigerians and further appealed to motorists to desist from panic purchases.

The minister, who doubles as the group managing director of NNPC, warned that unscrupulous marketers who either hoard or divert products would henceforth be treated as economic saboteurs.