*Mele Kyari, Group CEO of NNPC Limited, apologises to Nigerians for months of pains caused by the nationwide fuel scarcity, assuring the Company will resolve the ‘glitch’ in a week

Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect

As the perennial fuel scarcity persists, causing socio-economic dislocations in several places across the West African country, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited has apologised to consumers for months of pains caused by the nationwide fuel scarcity.

ConsumerConnect reports Malam Mele Kyari, Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NNPC Limited, who featured in an interview on a Channels programme monitored Tuesday, February 7, 2023, in Lagos, assured the public that the “glitch” will be resolved to everyone’s relief.

“I apologise for the situation. On behalf of all of us, the stakeholders in the oil and gas industry. Definitely, not surely exclusive.

“Having said this, it is unfortunate. It’s a glitch – we are responsible to [resolve] this glitch. We will resolve this.”

In regard to the actual time consumers should begin to see a turnaround of the efforts, Malam Kyari expressed a strong belief that the relief will be be felt “within the next one week.”

The NNPC Chief, nonetheless, noted that there is a caveat to this.

He stated: “I’m not saying that you’re going to have zero queues within the next one week.

“No, I can’t guarantee that because a number of things are out of our control.”

Kyari also explained that market forces would determine how quickly the situation is resolved.

According to him, the country is going to see substantial and relative ease in the next one week compared to the situation at present.

He assured that the NNPC will bring succour and relief to the Nigerian people, saying no one orchestrated the fuel scarcity.

Kyari explained: “We have no benefit in doing this. We are families.

“We are members and part of this community. We are very proud of this country.

“We would like this country to prosper. We don’t want Nigerians to suffer and of course as a matter of condition, we don’t think that anyone should go through this thing.”

Increased fuel supply as the solution

The NNPC, he said, has been on top of the situation and the way to bring the crisis under control is by increasing supply from the 63 million litres per day as of January.

The Group CEO noted: “We know that the solution is excess supply.

“Once we are able to do excess supply across the country, across locations, you are going to resolve this issue, which is exactly what we’re doing now.

“We’re ramping up evacuation today. On a daily basis, we are doing more than 70 million litres into the market against the regular evacuation of up to 63-64 million litres.”

He added:

“This will work and we believe that the ease that we’re seeing in many locations today.

“I don’t want to cite specific locations but I know that we’re seeing ease across the country. This is easing up.”