Oil & Gas
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The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, is to crash the price of Kerosene and curb corruption in the distribution of the product, which makes it impossible for the masses to buy it at the official price of N50 per litre.
The NNPC will soon flag off a three-month scheme known as “Kero Correct initiative” aimed at cutting off the several layers of middlemen who make it difficult for the end user to enjoy the subsidy on the Kerosene. This will make it possible for consumers of kerosene across the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, to buy the product at the regulated price of N50 per litre.
A press release issued by Ohi Alegbe, group general manager, Group Public Affairs Division, NNPC, and made available to Realnews on Sunday, January 18, said the Corporation organised a one-day workshop to enlighten members of some grassroots non-governmental organisations and volunteers drawn from all over the country who have been engaged to help monitor the distribution and sales of the product at NNPC Mega and affiliate stations across the country.
Frank Amego, executive director, Commercial, Pipeline and Products Marketing Company, PPMC, explained the objective of the ‘Kero Correct’ initiative, saying that the scheme was aimed at getting kerosene to the Nigerian masses who use the product as their domestic cooking fuel at the correct price. He observed that although kerosene was the most subsidised product, the Nigerian masses have not been enjoying the subsidy because of the long arbitrage system involved in its distribution and retail, diversion of the product by marketers to the construction industry where it is used for blending bitumen. Also, he said that the NNPC has no direct control over most of the marketers involved in the distribution and sales of the product.
“The Kero Correct initiative is thus designed to distribute and sell kerosene directly to end users from NNPC Retail mega and affiliate stations across the country at the government-regulated price of N50 per litre to ensure effective control,” Amego said. He assured that PPMC has enough stock of kerosene and that machinery has been put in place to ensure efficient distribution of the product from Lagos and Oghara to NNPC Retail mega and affiliate stations in every nook and cranny of the country.
Speaking at the occasion, Ufford Jackson Ibanga, general manager, NNPC Retail, assured that all of the 524 NNPC Retail mega, floating mega and affiliate stations across the country are to key into the Kero Correct scheme. He explained that the volunteers were being brought into the project to help monitor discharge and sales of the product to serve as an independent feedback system aimed at promoting transparency and ensuring that the product gets to the desired end users.
Uchechukwu Anthony Nwakwu, chairman of the Kero Correct committee and manager media, Group Public Affairs Division, listed the three-fold role of the NGOs and volunteers to include monitoring of discharge and sales of the product, ensuring orderliness at points of sales and serving as whistle blowers. He called on them to be passionate about their duties and justify the trust reposed in them by ensuring that the Nigerian masses derive maximum benefits from the scheme.
The scheme will involve the distribution of a total of 1,500 trucks of kerosene across NNPC Retail’s mega and affiliate stations across the country to ensure that each consumer gets at least 25 litres of the product over the next three months.
— Jan. 26, 2015 @ 01:00 GMT
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Tags: Federal Capital Territory Kero Correct kerosene Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation NNPC Ohi Alegbe Pipeline and Products Marketing Company PPMC price Realnews Uchechukwu Anthony Nwakwu
