Independent petroleum marketers and energy experts have urged the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited to fast-track the rehabilitation of its twenty-one moribund regional fuel depots and vast pipeline distribution network following the reactivation of domestic refineries in Port Harcourt and Warri. Industry stakeholders argue that relying on private tank farms and transporting petroleum products long distances by road tankers drives up fuel costs, damages road infrastructure, and creates significant operational hazards. Restoring direct pipeline transportation from refineries to regional storage facilities across the country would make petroleum distribution substantially cheaper, safer, and faster. To successfully revive the dilapidated system, experts recommend securing buried pipelines against widespread vandalism, involving host communities in pipeline protection, and attracting private sector capital to fund midstream infrastructure investments, thereby ensuring lower retail fuel prices for consumers nationwide.
Index to Nigerian Newspapers
