Oil marketers back Buhari on sector probe, split of NNPC

The Zonal Chairman, Independent Petroleum Marketers’ Association of Nigeria, Western Zone, Alhaji Debo Ahmed, has expressed its support for President Muhammadu Buhari’s probe of the activities in the oil and gas sector.

He hailed the administration’s plan to split the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, saying it would address the recurrent scarcity in the oil and gas sector.

Ahmed told newsmen in Ilorin, Kwara State that it was high time the sector was overhauled to enhance efficiency, accountability and transparency.

He said, “We are in support of the probe of the oil sector and the probe should be extended to all the depots. Marketers pay N120,000 yearly for the renewal of our bulk purchasing. We have over 15,000 marketers nationwide, that is over N1.4bn. Up until today, they have not renewed the bulk purchase licence. What is bulk purchase? It is just a paper for their legal department to sign.

“They were supposed to have used the money realised from us to make sure that the pipelines are okay. Since this is not the case, how can we be paying money to obtain a licence? We don’t see the effect of this. Are the depots working now?

“The probe should not be limited to the NNPC headquarters alone. It should extend to the depots. From the depots, the public will be able to know what the corporation has been doing.”

Ahmed said it was imperative to split the NNPC to ensure efficiency as decision making was slow in the NNPC owing to its big size.

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