From CHRISTIANA EKPA, Lokoja
THE Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) has called on Kogi State Government to take advantage of Rivers Niger and Benue to establish a modular refinery to address fuel supply challenges in the state.
Operational Controller of DPR in Kogi, Mr. Amos Jokodola, made the call in Lokoja while fielding questions from members of the Kogi House of Assembly on implementation of official pump price in state.
National Daily gathered that the State Controller of DPR was summoned through a motion of the house on May 3, to explain why petroleum products marketers in the state had flagrantly refused to sell at the official pump price.
Jokodola who said that the DPR was not concerned with supply of petroleum products added that its mandate was on dispensing of commodities and regulation of prices.
He said that the state required 100 trucks per day to service the 21 Local Government Areas but was being supplied seven trucks per day adding that there was a wide supply gap that needed to be addressed for the state to attain sufficiency.
The controller said, “The state has capacity to build its own refinery as a long term measure. Licences for such refineries are presently being issued by the NNPC.”
According to him the refinery could refine between 30 and 40 barrels of crude oil per day and meet the daily fuel requirements of the state and as well supply neighbouring states aside generating employment opportunities.
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Jokodola urged marketers in the state particularly in Dekina and Idah to enter Bulk Purchase agreement with the NNPC to accord them lifting rights saying, “If you are not on our data base, nobody will allocate you fuel.”
He said that only 30 trucks were allocated to the state in the last one week and urged the state to appeal to the NNPC for more slots as he added that diversion of products by tanker drivers also constituted a major challenge.
Speaker of the house, Alhaji Umar Imam urged the DPR in the state to live up to its mandate in ensuring that filling stations in the state dispense fuel at the government approved pump price of N86.50k.
Imam said that the summon of the DPR controller was a result of the penchant of marketers in the state to sell fuel above approved pump price as some sell between N130 and N200 per litre.
He urged NNPC to up supply to the state saying that Kogi was a border state where many states from the South-South, South-East and South-West transit on daily basis with the attendant demand on fuel.