60% Of Daily Kerosene Needs Produced In-country- NNPC
By Oladapo Okeowo with agency report
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) on Sunday said five million litres of the daily required eight million litres of dual purpose kerosene is supplied by it.
This was disclosed by the NNPC Group Managing Director, Dr Maikantu Naru in a statement released by the Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Ndu Ughamadu.
The NNPC GMD, speaking at a two-day Investigative Public Hearing of the House of Representative Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream), said the deficit is catered to by private petroleum products marketers who import it.
He said the NNPC meets the target via production by the “nation’s three refineries in Port Harcourt, Kaduna and Warri.”
Baru said ”the NNPC ensures that the entire refining output in Nigeria through its refineries and any products imported by it to make up for market supply -shortfalls meet the specifications of the Nigerian Institute of Standard and Standards Organisation of Nigeria.
”NNPC will not compromise safety and quality in its products and processes.
”All depots in the country have laboratories for quality checks to ensure safety of consumers.”
Touching on the issue of adulterated kerosene and the recent explosion in Calabar, Baru assured Nigerians that the Corporation is investigating all cases.
He advised the involvement of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) so private depots can be checked as the NNPC could not trace the truck that delivered the adulterated product in any of its depot’s loading schedule.
Baru also called on relevant authorities to empower the DPR to carry out its responsibilities more diligently by ensuring that petroleum products imported by marketers meet the required quality and safety standards as NNPC can not guarantee the quality of products imported by other market players.
“The quality of kerosene being sold to the general public require regular inspection to ensure that it meets health, safety, environment and quality standards at all times.
“This is to avert any regulatory breaches or threat to lives and properties of the general public and consumers of the products,” Baru said.
