The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) says it granted waivers to some filling stations at the land borders based on the approval granted by the Office of the National Security Adviser and Nigeria Custom Service (NCS).
The Head, Downstream Department at DPR, Bashir Sodiq, made this clarification in view of the allegations that the department was partly responsible for the smuggling of subsidised Premium Motor Spirit popularly called petrol, out of the country.
He said filling stations along the land borders are supplied with fuel, which is three per cent less than the daily fuel distribution.
Sodiq made the clarifications in Abuja on Monday at the public hearing organised by the House of Representatives’ Committee on Finance on the 2022-2024 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper.
The Controller-General of the NCS, Col. Hameed Ali, while appearing before the same committee in early August said petrol was being smuggled out of Nigeria in large quantities after it had been subsidised by the Federal Government.
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Ali had decried that the DPR had granted approval to filling stations along the land borders, while the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) kept supplying the commodity to the stations against Customs’ advice.
Ali had said the situation was responsible for the increase in the volume of fuel being released by the NNPC as daily consumption.
Sodiq, however, said, “I am not sure that the information that the CG has is correct. I have the record here.
“We were directed to stop supplying to filling stations 20km to the borders, which we did. I have the circular that we sent to all our offices.
“However, as time went on, we had a series of communications both from the ONSA and the NCS requesting for exemptions; none of these were initiated by the DPR. Why? Maybe because of security issue; because we felt that smuggling was more of security issue. Whenever we get any request from them, we approve.”
