Border closure: Nigeria cuts N51.16b fuel supply to Benin, others

• Country’s consumption dips by 408m litres in 51 days

Nigeria has slashed N51.6 billion worth of premium motor spirit (PMS) also known as petrol being smuggling to Republic of Benin and other countries along the region.

The country, which shut its border on August 16, 2019, had, according  to a document of the ministry of Petroleum resources, sighted by this newspaper, experienced a dip of 408 million litres in the 51 days that the access to and from Nigeria along the West Africa land border had been restricted.

This success, the document stated, led to the inauguration of an initiative code-named ‘Operation White,’ by the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, last weekend.

“After the closure of the nation’s land borders, daily premium motor spirit (PMS) consumption had dropped from 60 million litres per day to 52 million litres per day,” the document stated, quoting Sylva.

Major border crossings between Nigeria and Benin Republic were, on Wednesday August 16, closed without formal notice, leaving thousands of people and vehicles stranded on both sides.

The Seme Border, the busiest land crossing in Nigeria, was first shut, after some truckloads of prohibited tramadol and codeine were intercepted in Lagos on August 16.

The closure has lasted over 51 days, with Nigerians streaming towards their country’s border from Benin Republic, hoping they would be allowed into their country.

Traders at Benin Republic, who had then entered Nigeria to supply goods in Lagos, were also stranded and prevented from returning to their country.

Victims of the abrupt shutdown of West Africa’s main commerce corridor have, however, been fuming about their ordeal on social media.

Basking in the euphoria of decrease in eight million litres per day fuel consumption rate, the Federal Government, last Thursday, reconfirmed that Nigeria is yet to know the actual volume of fuel imports and consumption, as it inaugurated a team of 89 persons drawn from five key agencies to, among other things, authenticate the actual volume of products imported and consumed in the country.

The minister of petroleum resources who inaugurated the initiative code-named ‘Operation White’, in Abuja, according to a statement, maintained that the team is to also ensure transparency and accountability in the distribution of petroleum products across the country.

Speaking at a brief ceremony held at the NNPC Towers last Thursday, Sylva, who had earlier visited the team’s Command and Control Centre at NNPC Towers, observed that the initiative was long overdue for the country, even as he charged members of the team to carry out the assignment with commitment, zeal and patriotism.

“The minister stated that he was optimistic that the operation would stem the smuggling of petroleum products by unscrupulous operators, stressing that savings from the exercise would go a long way in supporting infrastructural development of the country,” the statement by Acting Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs division of NNPC stated.

“I must say that I am very impressed with the calibre of the team members of ‘Operation White’ and   I’m not surprised because every organisation that I know is as strong as its leadership.

“NNPC under the leadership of Mallam Mele Kyari epitomises strong leadership. I’m happy with the enthusiasm on the faces of the members and I am sure that we will succeed,” the minister said.

On his part, the Group Managing Director of NNPC, Mallam Kyari, charged the team to deliver on the onerous national assignment of controlling leakages of petroleum products, especially PMS, adding that they have no option but to succeed.

He said “Operation White’ would monitor and track every molecule of petroleum products imported into the country and follow it through to the pump, adding that NNPC was poised to support the Federal Government in its quest to guaranteeing energy security for the country.

Kyari averred that NNPC under his leadership would continue to be transparent by ensuring that the entire operations of the oil and gas industry remain visible to all Nigerians and all operators in line with his management’s vision of transparency, accountability and performance excellence (TAPE).

“The selection of ‘Operation White’ team was very thorough and people of great competence and high level of integrity were head-hunted for this national assignment. Today, we are good to go and we will see our transaction end-to-end as is the case in other countries” he said.

SOURCE: newtelegeaphng.com