The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd. (NNPC) says there is over 1.6 billion litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) available for nationwide distribution.

Malam Mele Kyari, NNPC Group Managing Director, made this known at the official unveiling of the Association of Distributors and Transporters of Petroleum Products (ADITOP) on Thursday in Abuja.

Kyari who was represented by Mr Adeyemi Adetunji, Group Executive Director, Downstream, NNPC, said “NNPC as of today has 1.6 billion litres of PMS which is about 27 days sufficiency.

“This is to assure Nigerians again that there is adequate supply of PMS and it is getting to all nooks and crannies of the country. We will continue to ensure that we facilitate the availability of PMS.

“I appreciate all Nigerians for all the patience and cooperation as we get back to normalcy in terms of petroleum products distribution in the country.

“After the challenge we had in January and the global environment for energy got worsened with the crisis in Ukraine and Russia, NNPC will do its best to alleviate the plight of Nigerians,” he said.

He noted said that the company had been working with relevant stakeholders in the oil and gas industry to put palliatives and continue to ensure that there was free flow of PMS in all areas of the country.

“We are working with the authority, we are working with the Nigerian Association of Transport Owners and Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD), now we are going to work with ADITOP to ensure we create normalcy to the situation,” he said.

Also speaking, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, called on stakeholders in the industry to make petroleum products available for citizens.

Sylva who was represented by Mr Famous Asiegbu, Director Human Resources in the ministry, said the ministry would continue to offer the association the needed support.

Alhaji Lawan Dan-Zaki, President, ADITOP, said that the Petroleum Industry Act if implemented properly and selflessly, could serve as a standard for national resource management.

“Nigeria has a wealth of natural resources with petroleum playing a major role in the economy.

“Unfortunately, in the Nigerian economy, the distribution of petroleum products is plagued by complex issues resulting in product outages, inflated costs, and disagreements over the product’s pump price,” Dan-Zaki said.

He said that ADITOP was poised toward working with all the key players in the industry to tackle the challenges.

In his goodwill message, Mr Chinedu Okoronkwo, President Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), said that the unveiling of the association was a new road map for the oil and gas industry.

Okoronkwo decried that prior to the coming up of ADITOP marketers had no association that could aggregate the activities of truck ownership.

“We are in a season that we are losing members because those not in the business have hijacked our business.

“With the collaboration with ADITOP, there will be no more strike where people will lock NNPC depot. All these excesses would be checked,” Okoronkwo said. NAN