By Isaac Kertyo, Makurdi
The Operations Controller, Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Makurdi Field Office, Mr Gabriel Adagba has declared that there won’t be scarcity of the Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, otherwise known as Petrol in Benue State during Christmas and New year festive periods.
The Controller who made this declaration while fielding questions from Journalists in Makurdi assured that there won’t be panic buying by members of the public during the aforesaid periods, explaining that there is strategic reserve at the Makurdi Depot of about eleven million litres of petrol to address the challenge of shortage if there is any.
” We have strategic reserve in the Makurdi Depot of about eleven million litres. So in case of anything, the strategic reserve will be deployed to cushion the effect of any shortage.”
According to Adagba, there is no anticipation of any shortage from now till the early part of next year. “So I don’t think there is any need for any panic buying, as you can see that there are no queues anywhere and we are working hard to see that, that is maintained.”
He posited that in case of any shortage, the authority don’t need product from anywhere at least for the next three months. “Eleven million isn’t a small quantity of product, hence we are not foreseing any product scarcity.”
In another development, the Operations Controller while reacting to the constant increase in the pump prices of other products such as gas, kerosene and dissel, he explained that the aforementioned products are deregulated products and so their prices are determined by the market forces.
” As it stands now, Premium Motor Spirit is the only regulated product, all other petroleum products are not regulated because Government is not placing price tag on them, it is the market forces that determine their prices,” he further explained. Ends
