The intervention of the Executive Governor of Rivers State, Governor Nyesom Wike is said to have averted a major crisis that would have crippled the free flow of petroleum products in the Niger Delta and beyond during the lockdown period in some parts of Nigeria.
Management of the national oil company, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), in a statement yesterday confirmed that the governor’s timely intervention by way of relaxing the stay-at-home order as it affected petroleum tanker drivers, went a long way in restoring normalcy to the fuel supply and distribution system in Rivers State and environs.
The Managing Director of the Petroleum Products Marketing Company (PPMC), Mr Musa Lawan, stated that despite the stay-at-home order, vessels laden with petroleum products were berthing the shores of Nigeria to guarantee products supply continuity, assuring that the question of shortage of petroleum products does not arise at all.
“Everything in terms of petroleum products supply and distribution across the country has normalized. With respect to Port Harcourt, we had a gridlock about two days ago that built up around the Imo River which restricted movement of trucks and loading of petroleum products from Port Harcourt to neighbouring states.
“But as we speak, that gridlock has disappeared and I would like to thank His Excellency, Chief Nyesom Wike, for personally intervening with his team. Tankers can now go in and truck out petroleum products and deliver to neigbouring states,” Lawan said.
He said the national corporation, under the leadership of the Group Managing Director, Mallam Mele Kyari, was appreciative of initiatives like that and appealed to other governors to rapidly intervene in such situations to avoid shocks in the fuel distribution and supply system across the country.
He appealed to motorists not to engage in panic buying of petroleum products, especially petrol, noting that with the ample supply of the products, there was no need for anybody to stock up the product in jerry cans to avoid the danger of inferno at homes.
Chibisi Ohakah
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