The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation on Wednesday said the country recorded 102 million litres daily petrol consumption of petrol in May as against an average of 60 million litres.
The Group Managing Director, NNPC, Mele Kyari, said in a statement issued in Abuja, said the 70 percent increase in daily consumption was a result of crude oil theft and illicit smuggling of petroleum products to other countries.
He said NNPC was collaborating with law enforcement agencies and other relevant downstream and upstream stakeholders to curb the menace of petroleum products smuggling and crude oil theft.
According to Kyari, the corporation is working with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Department of State Services (DSS), Nigeria Police Force (NPF), Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
He said President Muhammadu Buhari had mandated the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources, NNPC, and all the security agencies put an end to petroleum products smuggling.
Kyari insisted that all the 102 million litres of petrol was not consumed by Nigerians alone.
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“We all agree that smuggling is not a business that should be condoned because even for deregulated petroleum products, it brings extra cost burden on this country both in terms of safety and security of supply and in securing of foreign exchange,” Kyari said.
“It even constitutes more burden to this country when the product involved is a regulated product like Premium Motor Spirit.”
“We all know that our daily consumption is not up to 60 million litres. We all know that, and that is why we have to pull it down. We will pull it down by every means necessary,” Kyari stated.
The Executive Chairman of EFCC, Abdulrasheed Bawa, said the security agency was ready to work with the NNPC to ensure that all culprits in the economic sabotage were apprehended.
The Major Marketers Association of Nigeria, Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria, Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners, Petroleum Tanker Drivers and all the other stakeholders also expressed readiness to partner NNPC to bring an end to petroleum products smuggling.
