Stop Panic Buying, We Have Enough Fuel, NUPRC Tells Deltans

*Says no adulterated fuel in the State

Sylvester Idowu in Warri

The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) yesterday assured residents and motorists in Delta State of sufficient petroleum products, just as fuel queues surfaced in parts of the state.

NUPRC urged residents not to panic-buy assuring that there was sufficiency of the product in stock.

The Zonal Operations Controller (NUPRC), Warri Zonal office, Ignatius Anyanwu, who gave the assurance while speaking with journalists in Warri, however, warned petroleum marketers against sharp practices in the downstream sector declaring that offenders would be sanctioned accordingly.

He clarified that there was no case of fuel adulteration in Delta that probably could have created the perceived scarcity.

“The case of adulteration we are hearing, we did not record anyone in Warri zone. We have enough sufficiency in stock. I wonder why the sudden queue in filling stations across the state,” he said.

There have been queues in most of the filling stations in Delta South districts in the past two days resulting in panic buying.

Anyanwu advised motorists to stop panic buying noting that the surveillance team of the commission was working assiduously to ensure there was no hoarding or diversion of products.

“A total of 4.8 million litres of petrol were trucked out on Wednesday to the four catchment states under the Warri zone, which means that Delta now has 2.3 million litres,” he said.
The Zonal Operations Controller said 116 trucks have been distributed products across the four states under its operations disclosing that 55 out of the trucks supplied petrol to filling stations in Delta.

“We had two vessels, one discharged on Wednesday, while the other discharged on Thursday. As of Thursday, we had over 62 million litres in stock and this is being distributed throughout the states. So, there should not be scarcity or panic buying.

“We are surprised to see the queue at filling stations. There is no need for that because we have enough sufficiency in stock. Of course, there was a case of adulteration in Lagos and others but the public does not need to panic.

“Although, truly speaking, the queues are gradually disappearing unlike on Wednesday. When we saw the queue, we immediately dispatched our surveillance team,” he said.