Politics

Why FG should not scrap PPMC — Ex-Reps member, Makinde

Hon Rotimi Makinde, the former staff of Petroleum Products Marketing Company (PPMC) and former member Federal House of Representatives has cautioned the federal government not to scrap Pipelines and Product Marketing Company.

Makinde gave the advice in a statement forwarded to newsmen on Monday.

According to him, “The idea behind the creation of Pipelines and Product Marketing Company, a subsidiary of Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, can not be over Emphasize. The Petroleum Products Marketing Company (PPMC) is a wholly-owned downstream subsidiary Business Unit of NNPC, with the primary responsibility of profitably and efficiently marketing refined petroleum products in the domestic market and ensuring products supply efficiency either from domestic refining or from imports”.

In addition to its core mandate, Makinde said “PPMC is the National Strategic Reserve Holder for PMS and a major supplier of PMS nationwide”.

He continued; “With the above analysis of core value of the company in addition to this, was the correspondent merit in how its good management can eliminate a lot of things that cause loss and death on our roads. It is really a sad story that in Nigeria, we still use heavy vehicles and trailers to transport vulnerable products on our highways causing road damage and constant loss of lives that can be avoided through transportation of our various products through all the designated pipelines”.

“For instance PPMC pipeline from Port Harcourt to Aba of just 52 kilometers, PH to Enugu 210 klm distance, Enugu to Markudi 180 kilometre. In the Western part of Nigeria, the pipelines that exist are Mosimi to Ibadan about 80 kilometer, Ibadan to Ilorin 168 kilometres, Mosimi to Ore 151 kilometres, Ore to Benin 110 up to Warri which is 89.9 kilometres. All roads in this axis do record calamities and huge costs of maintenance by the federal government,” he added.

He, however, called on President Bola Tinubu to “revisit the ongoing concession and contracts for the overhauling of our various depots with the idea of handing them over to investors, a tactical and dangerous way to hand over national assets to some few individuals”.

He added; “PPMC can survive on its own, run effectively if well managed. The pipeline simply needs to be overhauled, and work with the intention to commercialize it in such a way to break even with the government to ensure total protection.

“No known economic policy can survive without the protection of our pipelines across the country. Oil and Gas are our major sources of revenue in this country, we certainly can not totally leave it in the hands of some powerful individual to run.

“The pipelines can operate and transport products to various depots and relatively charge for both local production and imported products. PPMC should remain our national pride so that we can overhaul the management to be more effective but not totally scrap it”.

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