COVID-19 lockdown: NYCN lauds FG on availability of petroleum products

The National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) has commended the Federal Government for ensuring the availability of petroleum products during the period of lockdown as part of measures to contain the spread of coronavirus pandemic.

President of National Youth Council of Nigeria, Solomon Adodo, gave the commendation, on Monday, in Abuja, during the presentation of a report on the independent monitoring of the distribution of petroleum products since the commencement of the lockdown in some states of the federation.

Adodo said the Nigerian youths applaud the efforts of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) which has ensured steady supply and availability of petroleum products across the country.

He recalled that days before the lockdown of some states, a vast number of Nigerians had embarked on a binge of panic buying of petroleumproducts despite the advice from the NNPC.

He said development necessitated NYCN Team to embark on an independent nationwide exercise to monitor the availability and distribution of petroleum products.

He said: “From results of our field surveys across the country we can boldly say that the panic buying was needless. The NNPC has kept to its word in ensuring constant and efficient availability of petroleum products at recommended prices despite the bottlenecks occasioned by the lockdown.

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“In times of adversity and challenges as this, the true mettle of leadership is tested and we can boldly attest to the fact that the Group Managing Director of NNPC – Mr Mele Kyari – has provided the needed leadership in effectively coordinating the stakeholders in the downstream to deliver petroleum products to Nigerians.

“But for the strategic planning and efforts of the NNPC, Nigerians would have been subjected to compounded hardships in searching for petroleum products with other attendant crisis thrown up.

“We, therefore, use this medium to reassure all Nigerians that there is no need for panic buying or hoarding of petroleum products on account of the fact that the NNPC has more than sufficient petroleum products in thousands of retail outlets across the country and there are still more products stored up in the depots,” he said.

Adodo noted that the multi-pronged partnerships NNPC has initiated with the state governments, National Union Petroleum and Natural Gas (NUPENG) Workers, Petroleum Tankers Drivers (PTD), among others would ensure a continuous flow of products even after the lockdown.

“Our interactions with Managers of petrol stations revealed that they had sufficient supply to meet any amount of demands by Nigerians,” he said.

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE