Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR, has called on the Kogi government to take advantage of rivers Niger and Benue to establish a modular refinery to address fuel supply challenges in the state.
Operational Controller of DPR in Kogi, Mr Amos Jokodola, made the call on Wednesday while fielding questions from members of Kogi House of Assembly on implementation of official pump price in the state.
The controller was summoned through a motion of the House on May 3, to explain why petroleum products marketers in the state had flagrantly refused to sell at the official pump price.
Jokodola noted that DPR was not concerned with supply of petroleum products, but the dispensing of commodities and regulation of prices.
He explained that the state required 100 trucks per day to service the 21 local government areas but was being supplied seven trucks per day, adding that there was a wide supply gap that needed to be addressed for the state to attain sufficiency.
According to him, the refinery could refine between 30 and 40 barrels of crude oil per day and meet the daily fuel requirements of the state as well as supply neighbouring states aside generating employment opportunities.
Jokodola urged marketers in the state, particularly Dekina and Idah, to enter into Bulk Purchase agreement with Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, to accord them lifting rights, stressing, “If you are not on our database, nobody will allocate you fuel.”
He said only 30 trucks were allocated to the state in the last one week and urged the state to appeal to NNPC for more slots, adding that diversion of products by tanker drivers also constituted a major challenge.
But Speaker, Kogi House of Assembly, Umar Imam, urged DPR to live up to its mandate in ensuring that filling stations in the state dispense fuel at the government approved pump price of N86.50k.
Imam stated that the summons of the DPR controller was as a result of the penchant of marketers in the state to sell fuel above approved pump price as some sell between N130 and N200 per litre.
He urged NNPC to increase supply to the state, noting that Kogi is a border state where many states from the South- South, South-East and South-West transit on daily basis with the attendant demand on fuel.
Credit: National Mirror
