NNPC Floating Stations Still Operational - MD NNPC Retail
ABUJA, Sept 14, (THEWILL) - The Managing Director of NNPC Retail Limited, Dr. Oladipo Ajiboye has disclosed that contrary to speculations that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation has abandoned the floating stations at the riverine area of the Niger Delta, four of the NNPC floating stations are currently operating at full capacity.
Speaking in an interview with Journalists on Monday in Abuja, Dr. Ajiboye reiterated the commitment of the management of the NNPC to ensure that the remaining eight floating stations come back on stream as soon as possible.
He said that as at today, the Nembe floating station, Calabar, Nkang and Ibaka are fully operational with Automotive Gas Oils (AGO), Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), Dual Purpose Kerosene (DPK) and Aviation Fuels.
Dr. Ajiboye emphasized that the Okerenkoko floating station in Delta State has not been abandoned saying that efforts are in top gear to bring on stream all the floating stations in the riverrine communities viz: Uta ewa, Bonny, Oporoma, Burutu among others.
"We have not abandoned the NNPC Floating Mega Stations and we don’t intend to do that because way back in 2005 when the Federal Government directed the NNPC to construct the floating stations, each of those stations cost the corporation a whopping N700 million. Due to the restiveness of youths in the Niger Delta after the floating stations were deplored by Julius Berger to their various sites, the stations could not come on stream. But as at today, four of those stations have undergone preconditioning maintenance and are fully operational," Dr. Ajiboye informed.
He revealed that due to corrosive activities that set in on the floating stations during the restive period in the Niger Delta, the NNPC is spending about N22million on each of the floating station to bring them back on stream depending on the level of deterioration.
Dr. Ajiboye said already, the NNPC Group Managing Director, Mr. Austen Oniwon has given the go-ahead for the construction of another floating mega station in Edo following the request of the State Government which will cost the corporation another mind boggling N982 million.
He disclosed that the NNPC was waiting for the approval of the Federal Government to build additional 50 stations noting that some will be mega while others will be standard affiliate stations. He further stated that preliminary activities has already commenced at Port Harcourt, Yenegoa and Lagos.
The NNPC Retail Limited MD called for a friendly and secure working environment that will enable the expatriates from Julius Berger work properly and assured Nigerians of adequate supply of petroleum products across the length and breadth of the country.
NNPC Retail Limited is a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation saddled with the responsibility of retailing petroleum products across the country. It currently has 12 floating stations, 37 mega stations and 469 affiliate stations across the country.