NNPC GMD reopens Ibadan depot for operations

After over one year of its non-functionality, Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mr Maikanti Baru, on Wednesday, commissioned Ibadan depot of the NNPC for loading, supply, and distribution of petroleum products.

Activities at the depot had been stalled due to vandalisation of pipelines from Mosinmi depot to Ibadan, especially at Arepo area in Ogun state.

According to Baru, the revamp of facilities at Ibadan depot, with a stock of 100 million litres, is expected to end the long haulage of petroleum products from private depots in Lagos and improve on petroleum products supply across the country.

Baru decried vandalisation of pipelines and the attendant non-functionality of several depots, for about a decade, but said the federal government had fixed most of the 5,100 kilometres of product pipelines and 8,000 kilometres of gas pipelines.

The Ibadan depot, one out of 21 depots in the country, is meant to service states in the South West and some states in the North.

Prior to the commissioning, Baru had visited Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State in his office, where he called for concerted efforts of the state government and community leaders in safeguarding pipelines and other petroleum facilities.

“We have spent the last one year and there has not any hiccup in terms of having queues at filling stations. To ensure this continues, we have to put all the distribution facilities in order and one of the things to do is have depots to transport our products.”

“The Ibadan depot must have products coming from Mosimi depots and Ejigbo depot. We had to drill about 10 metres deeper below the river bed to pass through that area. We are able to supply products to Ibadan depot through Mosinmi. Today we have stock of over 100 million litres in Ibadan depot,” Baru said.

Also speaking, Chief Operating Officer, Downstream, Mr Henry Obi remarked that the restoration of activities at Ibadan depot was towards improving the nation’s refining capacity to end the importation of petroleum products.

However, the NNPC GMD failed to answer the question on whether there had been communication between him and President Muhammadu Buhari following the letter was written by Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr Ibe Kachikwu raising several allegations before him.

When asked, he waved his hand, said, “thank you” and walked away.

In his remarks, Ajimobi acknowledged the multiplier effect of the depot in impacting upon the socioeconomic development of the state, urging the NNPC to station more of its retail outlets in the state.

He bemoaned vandalism as being responsible for the non-functionality of depots, for many years and urged the management of Ibadan depot to consider having a pipeline security committee to safeguard pipelines.

He further charged the NNPC to decouple its involvement in production processes to encourage private investments in running modular refineries.

Also, Ajimobi charged the NNPC to ensure total removal of fuel subsidy such that market forces determine the prices of petroleum products.