In a deft move designed to ensure efficient distribution and country-wide penetration of petroleum products, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has commenced nationwide consultation with stakeholders aimed at drumming support for the planned expansion of its retail outlets across the country.
Under the expansion plan, NNPC is seeking to expand the market share of its retail business to an appreciable level from the current 12 percent by building a mega station in every Senatorial district in the country in the months ahead.
Speaking during the flag-off of consultation during the week with a visit to the Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, the Group Executive Director, Commercial and Investment, Dr. Babatunde Victor Adeniran who led the NNPC delegation said the purpose of the visit was to solicit for the support of Kaduna State Government to provide lands for building new NNPC petrol stations in the state.
“Our mission is to build three mega stations, one each in the three senatorial districts of the state. We need about five thousand square meters for each of the station. Each station will have six pumps including that of Liquefied Petroleum Gas which is cooking gas,” the GED said.
Governor El-Rufai who was visibly elated expressed gratitude to NNPC management for deciding to flag-off the outlets expansion programme in Kaduna Sate, adding: “Any time NNPC comes visiting, it comes with good news”.
The governor who gave express approval for lands to be made available NNPC for the mega stations said: “I want to assure you that we will give you all the support that you need. The State Director of Lands will take the NNPC project team round the state to look at alternative sites. I don’t know how many you are building, we can give you as many as ten sites if you want”.
He stated that the supply of petroleum products was a key requirement for the prosperity of the country, adding that he was happy that NNPC was ready to invest heavily in the retail business to ensure that Nigerians are not exploited by private sector marketers.
He pledged the support of the state government to the success of the NNPC in general and the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company (KRPC) in particular.
Speaking in similar vein during the consultative visit to Kano State, Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje described NNPC as an indispensable business ally for socio-economic growth of Kano State and the country at large.
“Indeed, collaborating with the NNPC is indispensable if we are to achieve socio-economic development of the State. Kano State being the largest in terms of population and also the commercial nerve center of the North, there is no better organization to have an alliance with than the NNPC,” Gov. Ganduje said.