NNPC To Build 109 New Fuel Stations

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has disclosed plans to expand the market share of its retail business from the current 12 per cent to an appreciable level by building a mega station in every Senatorial district in the country in the months ahead.

In a statement by its spokesman, Ohi Alegbe, the Corporation’s move was part of efforts to expand its retail outlets across the country to ensure efficient distribution and country-wide penetration of petroleum products.

The NNPC, which had already commenced nationwide consultation with stakeholders aimed at getting support for the planned project, maintained that the project would go a long way in ensuring product availability across all parts of the country.

Speaking during the flag-off of consultation with a visit to the governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir el-Rufai, the group executive director, Commercial and Investment, Dr Babatunde Victor Adeniran, who led the NNPC delegation, said the purpose of the visit was to solicit the support of Kaduna State government to provide lands for building new NNPC petrol stations in the state.

He said, “Our mission is to build three mega stations in states, one each in the three senatorial districts of the state. We need about 5,000 square metres for each of the station. Each station will have six pumps including that of Liquefied Petroleum Gas which is cooking gas.”

In his response, el-Rufai who expressed gratitude to NNPC management for deciding to flag-off the outlets expansion programme in Kaduna State, gave express approval for lands to be made available for the mega stations.

He said: “I want to assure you that we will give you all the support that you need. The state director of lands will take the NNPC project team round the state to look at alternative sites. I don’t know how many you are building; we can give you as many as 10 sites if you want.”

The governor noted that the supply of petroleum products was a key requirement for the prosperity of the country, adding that he was happy that NNPC was ready to invest heavily in the retail business to ensure that Nigerians are not exploited by private sector marketers, even as he pledged support to the success the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company (KRPC).

Speaking in similar vein during the consultative visit to Kano State, Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje described NNPC as an indispensable business ally for socio-economic growth of Kano State and the country in general.

“Indeed, collaborating with the NNPC is indispensable if we are to achieve socio-economic development of the State. Kano State, being the largest in terms of population and also the commercial nerve centre of the North, there is no better organisation to have an alliance with than the NNPC,” Ganduje said.

He disclosed that he had already directed the commissioner of lands to work with the NNPC project team in selecting sites that meet the commercial requirement of the new filling stations in all the senatorial districts of the state.

Similarly, the governor of Jigawa State, Badaru Abubakar, pledged support for the NNPC retail outlet expansion project.

Abubakar, who spoke when he received the NNPC delegation for a consultative meeting on the retail expansion project, said he had directed the Ministry of Lands to provide alternative sites that would meet the stipulated requirements for NNPC to choose from.