Posted by By JAMES OJO, Abuja. on
Group Managing Director of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Alhaji Abubakar Yar'Adua, yesterday faulted the establishment of Gas Filling Plants by the Obasanjo administration, saying that due process was not followed.
...Says gas scarcity will end next week
Group Managing Director of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Alhaji Abubakar Yar'Adua, yesterday faulted the establishment of Gas Filling Plants by the Obasanjo administration, saying that due process was not followed.
Apart from not following due process, Yar'Adua told the House of Representatives Committee on Gas that the companies lacked the capacity and capabilities expected to run an interrupted gas supply.
The gas plants were located in Markudi, Ilorin, Gombe, Gusau, Ibadan and Kano.
'We expected that government should have considered equity in the location of these companies, but what we have is that the principles of the six geo-political zones was not followed, this we have made known to President Musa Yar'Adua," he said.
He said that NNPC was ready to take over the 49 per cent shares of equity in the NLNG as from April, saying that the matter would be ratified by the board of NNPC.
Yar'Adua assured that the supply of domestic gas would improve as from next week with the coming on stream of Warri Refinery on Monday, adding that within the next three weeks, Kaduna Refinery would resume production.
He said that the conclusion of repairs of damaged portions of the pipeline supplying crude to the Warri Refinery made it possible for the refinery to start work.
'The end to gas shortage is imminent. We have completed the repair of the 35 ruptured places on the Warri line. I can announce to you that Warri Refinery has started working from Monday, but it will take three weeks to pump crude to Kaduna, by next week, gas scarcity will be over," he assured.
The GMD explained that part of the problems of gas supply was the shortage of trucks to lift the product from the plants, saying that Nigeria needs 2,000 trucks, whereas, less than 50 per cent of the 300 functional trucks are on the road.
'We are supposed to have a minimum of 2000 trucks to deliver gas throughout the country, that is our estimate, but we have 300 moving vehicles and out of the 300, may be 50 per cent of them are Tokunbo, they break down on the way two to three days," he said.
On gas cylinder, Yar'Adua told the committee that the only company producing gas cylinder in Ibadan had closed down and that even when the company was in operation, its products had deficiencies.
The NNPC boss said that Nigeria needs a vessel that has the capacity for 10 tonnes and that there is only one of such vessles in the country, noting that since about three years ago, Nigerian ports administration had advised NNPC to find solution to importation of fuel.
Chairman of Gas committee, Hon Igo Aguma had summoned the NNPC boss to
explain the reason for shortage of cooking gas and its rising cost, as well as to brief the House on the state of the refineries.