The Federal Government yesterday approved the constitution of a 14-man Steering Committee on Petroleum Products Supply and Distribution management to find lasting solution to disruptions in the supply and distribution of petroleum products.
The Steering Committee, which will be chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari, who also doubles as the substantive Minister of Petroleum, has the Minister of State for Petroleum Resource, Timipre Sylva as Alternate Chairman.
Members of the Committee include the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning; Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum Resources; the National Economic Adviser to the President; and the Director-General, Department of State Services (DSS).
Others are the Comptroller-General, Nigerian Customs Service (NCS); Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Member (EFCC); and Commandant-General, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
The Committee would among others, ensure transparent and efficient supply and distribution of petroleum products across the country.
There is also a Steering Committee comprising the Authority Chief Executive, Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA); Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN); Group Chief Executive Officer, NNPC Limited; Special Advisor (Special Duties) to the HMSPR, while the Technical Advisor (Midstream) to the HMSPR will serve as Secretary.
Sylva, in a statement by his media aide, Horatius Egua, said the Committee, would among others, ensure transparent and efficient supply and distribution of petroleum products across the country.
Also, the NMDPRA is to ensure strict compliance with the government approved ex-depot and retail prices for premium motor spirit (PMS), popularly called petrol.
The NMDPRA is to further ensure that the NNPC Limited, which is the supplier of last resort, meets the domestic supply obligation for PMS and other petroleum products in Nigeria.
Additionally, he directed that the interest of the ordinary Nigerians is protected from price exploitation on other deregulated products such as Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), Dual Purpose Kerosene (DPK), and Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG).
“The Federal Government will not allow misguided elements to bring untold hardship upon the citizenry and attempt to discredit government’s efforts in consolidating the gains made thus far in the oil and gas sector of the economy,” he added.
Other terms of reference are to ensure national strategic stock management, visibility on the NNPC Limited refineries rehabilitation programme, and to ensure end-end tracking of petroleum products, especially PMS to ascertain daily national consumption and eliminate smuggling.
