Fuel Scarcity: Lingering crisis not deliberate attempt to influence, scuttle elections - NNPC - Newstrends
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Fuel Scarcity: Lingering crisis not deliberate attempt to influence, scuttle elections – NNPC

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Group Managing Director of NNPC, Mele Kyari

In a veiled response to the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) yesterday said it stands to benefit nothing by wanting to create artificial fuel scarcity to influence the oncoming general election.
But as Nigerians continue to groan over the lingering petrol scarcity and queues at filling stations, the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN) has said NNPC lacks the capacity to supply and distribute the volume of petrol that would serve all Nigerians.Tinubu had in an outburst during his campaign trail, insinuated that the current problems besetting the country, including petrol scarcity and naira shortages were done to hobble his chances of winning the presidential poll.
But the Group Executive Officer of the NNPC, who spoke on the state-owned Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), argued that the nationwide petrol scarcity was not new and wasn’t targeted at anyone.

According to him, the shortage of the product began in 2022 and had continued intermittently despite efforts to curb it.
He reiterated there was no supply problem in the system, but said the market dynamics in terms of logistics and handling charges have changed, thereby affecting prices.
He explained that to deliver Nigeria’s daily 60 million litres consumption, there has to be at least 1,800 tankers on the road daily which may take up to seven days to get to their destinations. Kyari stated that there’s no scarcity of fuel, stressing that the situation has been further compounded by consumer behaviour and panic buying.

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He highlighted the current attempts to end the fuel queues, stressing that prices would soon crash at the depots to ensure normalcy.
According to him, Nigeria’s current fuel consumption accounts for about 70 per cent of the entire West African sub-region.
The GCEO said while the West African region would have been a huge market, the arbitrage being created by differences in prices was making things difficult for the industry.

“There’s greed across the value chain,” he stated.
Kyari stated that the initial design of the petrol pipelines was such that no truck would move beyond 400km, but that the Jesse fire in Delta made it impossible to pump petrol from Warri to Benin and then Ore.
As for the atlas cove, he said the NNPC was losing 24 per cent of its products due to activities of vandals and had to be shut down, while Port Harcourt to Aba was also losing much before it was shut down.
He added that due to the age of the pipeline and the shallowness of the facilities, it was important to rebuild them under the Build, Operate and Transfer method.“I do not think anybody sits down to orchestrate that there should be scarcity so that it will impact elections and so on. I don’t think it happens that way if it is so. But it is not true because the reality is that these glitches actually started early in 2022.
“It has nothing to do with this election period. Once you have a challenge of this nature, it is a cyclical thing. Once you have this challenge, they continue to come up, and then once you have arbitrage issues, you have this glitch.“Today, our redundancy in terms of petroleum products supply is just three days in this country. Once you have a glitch that extends longer than three days, you need another three weeks to stabilise it. So irrespective of who does what, whatever causes the three-day glitch, it is a nightmare waiting to happen.
“Once we see this glitch, that is why we do everything possible to avoid the glitches from happening. I do not think anyone will sit down and say let us create this so that there will be an impact on the elections and so on.“There is no benefit in it. No one would do this and I can tell you this very clearly that there is no one issue that bothers the president like this. There is no briefing that I do to the president that he does not mention this,” Kyari stated.
He explained said it was impossible to link petrol shortage to the elections, noting that NNPC was doing everything in its power to control the situation.
“Yes, there are a lot of glitches. There are a lot of logistics and nightmares. Greed has come into play. There are cross-border issues that we have to deal with. There are international market situations that you have to deal with,” he said.

Kyari maintained that Nigeria has enough stock in-country, but added that distribution was a major challenge.
“We do not have a supply problem because as we speak now, we have over 28 days of supply even if we evacuate up to 60 million litres of PMS every day. We have a distribution problem that comes up as a result of the shift in the cost of logistics in our business taking fuel from the mother vessels to the terminals into trucks to the fuel stations.

“Several things have changed and we do not have an automatic adjustment system that will resolve this as a result of the fuel subsidy regime we are currently operating in the country. However, fuel subsidy payments are understandable to protect consumers from the vagaries of market forces,” he noted.
In his remarks, the Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Farouk Ahmed, stated that there’s about 28 days offshore capacity while there’s 12 days onshore, stressing that there has been an increase in charges to move vessels from offshore to onshore from about $19,000 to $60,000 per day in some locations.

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He stated that there have been glitches on the road, including accidents which created huge gaps and by extension, arbitrage. He noted that tens of filling stations that flouted the rules had been shut down.

MOMAN: NNPC Alone Cannot Supply All Petrol Needed by Nigerians

Meanwhile, the Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of MOMAN, Mr. Clement Isong, during a phone chat with THISDAY, explained that the NNPC was challenged by insufficient storage and distribution facilities that would enable it supply products to marketers.
Isong, who pointed out that entrepreneurs needed incentives to participate in the downstream oil and gas supply chain in the country and help address the disruption in supply and distribution, however, assured that the fuel scarcity and queues might ease in few weeks’ time if all the players comply with the rules agreed at the stakeholder meeting held on Tuesday at the instance of the NNPC.
At the meeting held in Abuja, the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor, had told the participants that the government was not handicapped in halting the fuel crisis, threatening to use military sanctions on marketers causing the artificial scarcity and pains on Nigerians.

Also, Kyari had equally stated at the meeting that the challenge was monumental and was taking unanticipated dimensions, maintaining that the issue was not a supply problem.

But speaking with THISDAY, the MOMAN Executive Secretary noted that NNPC had brought all the products the country needs but that most them were offshore, adding that solving the fuel crisis need the cooperation from many operators in the system, with right incentives and right business environment.

 Isong said, “The truth of the matter is that NNPC by itself cannot supply the entire Nigerian market. They have brought all the products the country needs, most of it is offshore. It is challenged. Distribution in the country is such that NNPC cannot bring all of it onshore by itself –use its own facilities and distribute to the Nigeria public. They need cooperation from very many operators in the system.

 “So, it needs the entrepreneurs –people who will go and buy the product, pay for it, hire daughter vessels to go and pick it from the mother vessels and bring them onshore. It needs operators in the market who own depot facilities. Many of the NNPC depot facilities which were connected to the pipelines are either non-functional or insufficient.

“The Atlascove which is connected only by a pipeline system is not functional because people along the pipeline have made holes along the pipelines. The Warri Refinery, Port Harcourt Refinery are not functional but they have depots there, but those facilities are not sufficient. So, it needs to then hire facilities from depot owners along the coast, or depot owners will go and buy from the NNPC vessels and put in their facilities to distribute.”

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He further said the situation also required transporters and entrepreneurs to buy trucks, maintain those trucks and take the products to the filling stations for distribution to Nigerians, maintaining that the situation also requires the filling stations to cooperate and sell the product at the right prices to Nigerians.

Unlike the threats of military sanctions on marketers by Irabor and the Department of State Security (DSS), the MOMAN CEO said, “these are not things you can force people to do. People will only do them if the incentive is right; if the business environment is right, if the return on investment is right. It’s not something you do buy force.”

Currently, according to him, the legal structure in operation in the downstream sector was the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) but that the downstream market was not operating under that legal structure as petrol prices were still being set by government in breach of the law.

Arguing that if marketers bring the product and were not recovering their costs and that their money served them better elsewhere, there would not be entrepreneurs that would be incentivized to participate in the business.

Isong, who called for a level of volunteerism and incentivisation in the downstream business, added that all stakeholders must come to the table and agree to play their part in the business.

That, he explained, was what the stakeholders’ meeting was about, “it was arriving at what was reasonable for all the players in the supply chain to participate and play their role in the supply chain and to agree the level of incentives that would make them play that role fairly. So, at the end of the meeting, everybody pretty much agreed to abide by the rules as we agreed.”

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According to him, “if those rules are sufficiently incentivising, what we expect is that over the next few days, people will go and start hiring vessels again, which they had stopped hiring, to go and start collecting products from the outside storage to put it through their depots. The trucks that had stop coming or that had gone to other places, will start coming back to do business.

 “And then, it will make sense to sell petrol through filling stations again, rather than selling in jerry cans. Everybody will come to the business and the price will come down because people are properly incentivised to do the marketing in the correct way.”

 He explained that the rules established at the Tuesday stakeholders’ meeting were rules about handling of the product and about maximum cost that could be borne along the supply chain.

 Isong further said, “The vessel cost is much, so we agreed that the vessels must not cost much. The transport cost must not cost much. It’s just an agreement as to the handshake in the supply chain to make sure that everybody plays his role efficiently and properly incentivise or motivate us.”

He, however, assured that if all players cooperate, the petrol scarcity and queues would ease in the next few weeks.

On whether the body language of the federal government was telling them that the government was seriously preparing to achieve the June target for subsidy removal, the MOMAN CEO, said the industry stakeholders and government were basically trying to keep the system going until subsidy removal.

“We are trying to put together a regime that will survive until subsidy is removed. So, to me, the meeting was all positive, positive. It was agreed that if anybody misbehaves, then he is on his own. What happens to him is his fault. Everybody should play by the rules that were freely and openly negotiated on Tuesday,” he added.

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FRSC Boss: Tinubu’s CNG, EV Drive Creating Jobs, Attracting Investment

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2 days ago

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August 3, 2026

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FRSC Boss: Tinubu’s CNG, EV Drive Creating Jobs, Attracting Investment

President Bola Tinubu’s ambitious transition to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Electric Vehicles (EVs) is already attracting fresh investments, creating new employment opportunities and laying the foundation for a cleaner, safer and more sustainable transport system, the Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Shehu Mohammed, has said.

Speaking at the 2026 Nigeria Auto Industry Summit (NAISU) organised by the Nigeria Auto Journalists Association (NAJA), Mohammed described the Presidential CNG and EV Initiative as a game-changing policy capable of reshaping Nigeria’s automotive and transportation landscape while stimulating industrial growth and youth employment.

The FRSC boss said the initiative aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly those promoting climate action and sustainable transportation, while commending President Bola Tinubu for the bold reforms and for assigning the corps a strategic role in the programme’s implementation.

“This initiative has brought in so many investments. We have assembly plants producing electric vehicles and CNG vehicles, companies manufacturing CNG cylinders and conversion kits, and new technology that is creating opportunities for our youths,” he said.

According to him, the initiative is expected to generate thousands of jobs while positioning Nigeria as a leading destination for green mobility investments in Africa.

“Really, it is a massive investment coming into Nigeria, and it is producing massive jobs for the unemployment challenge we have,” he added.

Mohammed also linked the administration’s transport agenda to ongoing infrastructure projects, including the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the Sokoto-Badagry Super Highway, noting that the projects would improve connectivity and support a safer, more efficient transport network.

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He expressed confidence that the reforms would help Nigeria achieve the United Nations target of providing “a safe, accessible, affordable, reliable and sustainable transport system for all Nigerians by 2030.”

On road safety, the Corps Marshal stressed that reducing road crashes and fatalities requires collective action rather than relying solely on the FRSC.

“Road safety should not be left to the FRSC alone. It is a collective responsibility involving government, communities and every Nigerian,” he said.

While noting that the corps has sustained public enlightenment campaigns for over three decades, Mohammed said greater participation from state governments, local councils, traditional institutions and community leaders is essential to changing road users’ behaviour.

He disclosed that the FRSC has expanded its awareness campaign beyond motor parks to grassroots town hall meetings, enabling the agency to engage drivers, passengers and community stakeholders more directly.

“When you see a bad driving culture, stop the person and caution him. Let him be embarrassed. Road safety is everyone’s responsibility,” he said.

The Corps Marshal expressed concern over persistent traffic violations such as speeding, overloading and the dangerous practice of conveying passengers alongside goods and livestock, warning that such behaviours remain major causes of fatal crashes.

He also urged passengers to challenge reckless drivers, particularly those who exceed speed limits, saying public intervention could save lives.

Mohammed commended NAJA and the media for their sustained support for the FRSC’s road safety campaigns and called for deeper collaboration with journalists to achieve the global target of cutting road traffic crashes, injuries and fatalities by 50 per cent before 2030.

Speaking on the legacy he hopes to leave, the FRSC boss said his priority is to build a technology-driven, people-focused organisation anchored on professionalism, collaboration and excellent service delivery.

“The legacy I want to leave is partnership, collaboration and bringing out the best in FRSC personnel to serve Nigerians and further enhance the image of the corps,” he said.

 

FRSC Boss: Tinubu’s CNG, EV Drive Creating Jobs, Attracting Investment

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Lanre Shittu Motors Leads Drive to Steer Lagos Students Away from Crime, Donates books to public Schools 

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August 3, 2026

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Students of St. Joseph Senior Secondary School Surulere, Lagos, receiving the books

Lanre Shittu Motors Leads Drive to Steer Lagos Students Away from Crime, Donates books to public Schools 

Lanre Shittu Motors is expanding its investment in youth development beyond skills acquisition, launching a major education campaign aimed at steering thousands of Lagos secondary school students away from financial crime through value-based learning and character development.

In partnership with the author of Clean Hands, Bright Future: A Youth Guide to Avoiding Financial Crime in Africa, the foremost automotive company has begun distributing the book to 200 public secondary schools across Lagos State, with more than 150 schools already reached in the first phase of the initiative.

The campaign, which began at Kuramo Senior College and Victoria Island Senior Secondary School, seeks to equip students with a clear understanding of the dangers of fraud, cybercrime, identity theft, examination malpractice and other financial crimes, while promoting integrity, hard work, ethical leadership and responsible citizenship.

Author of the book, Mr. Adedayo Aluko, said the project was inspired by the alarming rise in financial crime among young people and the need to intervene early through education.

“The rate of financial crime among youths is becoming increasingly alarming. We believe education is one of the most effective tools to prevent crime. The message of the book is simple: crime does not pay, and with clean hands, every young person can build a brighter future,” Aluko said.

He explained that the initiative goes beyond book distribution, with plans to return to beneficiary schools for interactive enlightenment sessions and career talks to reinforce the message of integrity.

According to him, the book simplifies over 100 forms of financial crimes, helping students understand offences that many young people unknowingly become involved in. Rich illustrations and practical examples were deliberately included to engage students and make the lessons memorable.

Aluko commended Lanre Shittu Motors for supporting the project, describing the Managing Director of the company, Mr Taiwo Shittu, as a long-standing advocate of youth empowerment and education.

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“Mr. Taiwo Shittu believes there is no shortcut to success. During the flag-off, he personally handed copies of the book to students and encouraged them to embrace hard work, education and skill acquisition as the true pathways to success.

Speaking on the initiative, the LSM MD, Mr. Taiwo Shittu, said the company’s decision to sponsor the distribution reflects its belief that preventing crime begins with shaping values at an early age.

“Young people are the future of our nation. By investing in character development and educating students about the consequences of financial crime, we are helping to build responsible citizens who will contribute positively to society.

“At Lanre Shittu Motors, we believe integrity, education and hard work remain the surest foundations for lasting success,” he said.

Shittu noted that the company’s strong culture of corporate social responsibility was inherited from its founder and his father, the late Alhaji Rasak Olanrewaju Shittu.

He said the late automotive icon instilled in his children and employees the enduring values of compassion, community service and giving back to society, a legacy that continues to shape Lanre Shittu Motors’ investment in education, youth development and other impactful social initiatives.

Published in May 2026 and endorsed by the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), Clean Hands, Bright Future, has been described as a practical guide for young people navigating increasing social and economic pressures.

The ongoing distribution programme underscores Lanre Shittu Motors’ commitment to corporate social responsibility and its determination to inspire a generation that chooses integrity over shortcuts and honest enterprise over criminality.

Lanre Shittu Motors has over the years maintained a strong record of investing in youth development through skills acquisition and capacity building initiatives.

The company has consistently provided opportunities for young Nigerians to acquire technical and vocational skills in automotive engineering, vehicle maintenance and related fields through internship, apprenticeship and industry training programmes.

It has also supported educational and youth empowerment initiatives aimed at preparing young people for productive careers, reinforcing its belief that equipping youths with employable skills remains one of the most effective ways to reduce unemployment, discourage crime and promote sustainable national development.

 

Lanre Shittu Motors Leads Drive to Steer Lagos Students Away from Crime, Donates books to public Schools

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Policy Bottlenecks Threaten Nigeria’s Clean Mobility Drive, LCCI Warns

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August 1, 2026

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Policy Bottlenecks Threaten Nigeria’s Clean Mobility Drive, LCCI Warns

The Chairman of the Auto and Allied Sector Group of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Dr. Femi Eguahide, has warned that policy inconsistencies, regulatory bottlenecks and weak coordination between the public and private sectors could derail Nigeria’s clean mobility ambitions, urging the Federal Government to deepen collaboration with industry stakeholders to accelerate the transition to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Electric Vehicles (EVs).

Speaking at the 3rd Nigeria Auto Industry Summit in Lagos on Thursday, Eguahide said the success of the Federal Government’s clean mobility agenda would depend on sustained stakeholder collaboration, policy consistency and the removal of operational challenges slowing investment and implementation.

The summit, organised by the Nigeria Auto Journalists Association (NAJA) under the theme, “Nigeria’s Clean Mobility Future: The EV and CNG Journey Under the Bola Tinubu Administration,” brought together policymakers, regulators, automobile manufacturers, financiers, transport operators, researchers, safety agencies and development partners to chart a roadmap for accelerating Nigeria’s transition to cleaner transportation.

Eguahide acknowledged the Federal Government’s commitment to alternative energy solutions through the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas and Electric Vehicles (Pi-CNG & EV), but stressed that translating policy into tangible results would require stronger coordination between government institutions and private investors.

According to him, the automotive industry remains a critical driver of industrialisation, job creation and economic growth, making it imperative for government agencies to work closely with manufacturers, assemblers, financiers and technology providers to create a more predictable and investment-friendly operating environment.

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He said effective policy implementation must be backed by continuous stakeholder engagement capable of resolving challenges surrounding vehicle conversion, local manufacturing, infrastructure development, financing and technology deployment.

Eguahide maintained that Nigeria possesses enormous potential to build a globally competitive clean mobility ecosystem, but cautioned that fragmented policies and institutional inefficiencies could slow the country’s progress if left unresolved.

He therefore urged government agencies to deepen engagement with the organised private sector to develop practical solutions that would accelerate the rollout of CNG refuelling infrastructure, EV charging networks and local automotive production.

Earlier, the Federal Government reaffirmed its commitment to expanding Nigeria’s clean mobility ecosystem through increased investment in infrastructure, local manufacturing and strategic partnerships.

Speaking on behalf of the Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas and Electric Vehicles (Pi-CNG & EV), Barrister Ismaeel Ahmed, the Initiative’s Chief Compliance Officer, Engr. Zayyanu Tamberi Yabo, said the programme had evolved into a key pillar of President Bola Tinubu’s transport and energy reform agenda.

According to Ahmed, the Presidential Initiative was established not merely to promote alternative fuels but to build an integrated ecosystem covering infrastructure development, investment, vehicle conversion, local manufacturing, technical capacity building and consumer confidence.

“Our approach from the beginning has been to build the foundations of a sustainable industry rather than pursue isolated interventions,” he said.

He disclosed that certified CNG conversion centres had expanded significantly across the country over the past two years, while new refuelling stations were being developed through public and private sector investments.

Ahmed added that vehicle conversions continue to rise as commercial transport operators and private motorists increasingly embrace CNG because of its lower operating costs.

He also highlighted partnerships with financial institutions, energy companies and automobile manufacturers aimed at improving access to financing and accelerating the adoption of clean mobility technologies.

Despite the progress, he identified infrastructure expansion, consumer financing, local manufacturing capacity, technical training, research, innovation and standardisation as priority areas requiring sustained attention.

In his welcome address, NAJA Chairman Theodore Opara described the summit as a strategic platform for shaping the future of Nigeria’s automotive industry.

He said reforms introduced by the Tinubu administration had created fresh momentum for CNG, electric vehicles and local automotive manufacturing, adding that stronger collaboration among government, industry players and the media would be critical to sustaining the gains.

Also speaking, the Director-General of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Dr. Ifeanyi Chukwunonso Okeke, represented by Engr. Olalekan Omoniyi, said strict compliance with internationally recognised standards would determine the success of Nigeria’s transition to EVs and CNG-powered transportation.

He disclosed that SON had developed more than 80 Nigerian Industrial Standards for CNG vehicles and equipment, as well as 87 additional standards and the National Nigeria Guideline (NNG 1214:2024) for CNG vehicle conversions.

The SON boss warned against the proliferation of uncertified conversion centres and substandard equipment, urging mandatory certification for imported and locally assembled EVs, CNG vehicles, conversion kits and charging infrastructure.

 

Policy Bottlenecks Threaten Nigeria’s Clean Mobility Drive, LCCI Warns

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