Contrary to NNPCL’s Claim, NMDPRA Puts Daily Petrol Truckout in 2022 at 62.95m Litres

•Lawmakers urge agency to harmonise figures with NNPCL

Udora Orizu in Abuja

The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) yesterday put the daily truck out of petrol in 2022 at 62.95 million litre per day.

The Head of Finance and Account of the NMDPRA Adebayo Adeniyi, gave the figures from the Authority, while appearing before the House of Representatives Committee on Finance considering the 2023-2025 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper (MTEF/FSP).

However, this was in variance with the figures published by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, which at the weekend put the average daily evacuation (Depot truck out) from January to August 2022 stood at 67 million litres per day, citing NMDPRA figures. The NNPC had also explained that the daily evacuation (Depot load outs) records of the NMDPRA do carry daily oscillation, ranging from as low as four million litres to as high as 100 million litres per day.

Speaking further, Adeniyi also said the Authority projected the cost of petrol per litre to be within N443, N272 and N250, depending on the effects of some factors such as the deregulation of the product, the Russian-Ukaraine war and the exchange rate of the dollar.

He said: “The average daily truck out for 2022 is 62.95 million litre per day. This is from actual truck. Based on our projection for between 2023-2025, we are projecting 3.2 per cent increase in Gross Domestic Product (GDP). We used that to project the daily truck out for 2023-2025. “On the average expected open price, at today subsidy still reigns, but we expect that deregulation will come at a point. Based on an average—if deregulated, the price of petroleum will be about N272 per litre.

“However, from 2023-2024, our projection is that the open market price will go to as high as N443 per litre. And this is based on changes in dollar rate and the Ukraine war that is going on.

“For 2025, our projection for the price of PMS is N250, based on the hope that dollar would have stabilised and Ukraine war would have ended.”

When asked by a member of the committee, Hon. John Dyegh, to clarify the figures of 62 and 98 million litres being alleged by the Nigeria Customs Service and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, (NNPCL) respectively, Adeniyi insisted on the Authority’s figure.

“Quite a number of statistics or people giving out all sorts of figure. Major information comes from the defunct PPPRA. What we gave you is what is obtainable as the actual truck out. When we say truck-out, we mean from the depot to the retail outlets. I don’t know where other figures may be coming out.

“I cannot speculate on that. All the depots operating in Nigeria are discharging products. If 1000 are discharging, it means that it”, he said.

In his remarks, the Deputy Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Saidu Abdullahi who presided over the session charged the agency to interface with others in order to harmonise the figures.

“Even yesterday, the figure NNPC Limited quoted was not in tandem with your figure. You people need to reconcile your position. If you have information being churned out- different information being churned out by different agencies – you are not giving us room to appreciate what you are doing.

“It now gives room to allow for imagination. Some people will start thinking, where are we getting it wrong? I will want you to use this platform to educate Nigerians.”