EASTERN Nigeria-based oil marketers are praising President Goodluck Jonathan’s reopening the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation depot at Osisioma, in Abia State.
The marketers also expressed appreciation for the constant supply of petrol to the deport, telling journalists in a Monday interview that the efforts were very worthy of commendation..
“We’ve sampled opinions from all the states in the South East and found that people are happy with the president for not only re-opening the depot, but also sustaining supply to the depot,” said Mr.Simple Nwankpa, Chairman of Reactivation Committee of the depot.
“During the electioneering, the president promised the people of the South East that he would ensure re-opening of the depot and this he has done.
“He went a step further to ensure that products supply is sustained unlike in 2008 when the then rehabilitated depot received supplies for a short period”, he said.
Nwakpa also commended the Group Managing Director of NNPC, Chief Andrew Yakubu and the Managing Director of PPMC, Mr Haruna Momoh, for keeping to their words to ensure regular supply of products to the depot.
Chief Gilbert Nwoke, the IPMAN Chairman in Aba Depot,said that they were grateful to all who made it possible to have regular supply of products since the depot was re-opened.
“Before now, we used to travel to all parts of the country in search of petroleum products, but others now come here to source for the same products; we remain eternally grateful to those that made this happen”, he said.
He commended the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika, for mobilising soldiers to keep surveillance over the pipelines to forestall vandalism.
Mr Aliche Oti, Chairman of Petroleum Tanker Drivers in the zone, said that his members would work with IPMAN to make operations at the depot successful.
He appealed to NNPC to start pumping other products like kerosene and aviation fuel to the depot, as such a step would make residents in the area to feel the impact of the re-opening of the depot.
Built and commissioned in 1979, the Aba depot supplies petroleum products to Abia, Imo, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Akwa Ibom states. Vandalism and associated problems had prevented PPMC from pumping oil to the depot since March 2007.
However, the PPMC stopped pumping petroleum products to the depot on March 3, 2007 due to persistent pipelines vandalism.