The Federal Government has inaugurated a team of 89 persons drawn from five key agencies to ensure transparency and accountability in the distribution of petroleum products across the country.
Speaking at a ceremony held at the NNPC Towers in Abuja to launch the initiative code-named ‘Operation White’, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Mr Timipre Sylva, said the team would help to authenticate the actual volume of products imported and consumed in the country and ensure that the nation attains energy security.
Sylva, who earlier visited the team’s Command and Control Centre at the NNPC Towers, observed that the initiative was long overdue for the country, even as he charged members of the team to carry out the assignment with commitment, zeal and patriotism.
The Minister stated that he was optimistic that the operation would stem the smuggling of petroleum products by some unscrupulous operators, stressing that the savings from the exercise would go a long way in supporting infrastructural development of the country.
He recalled that few weeks after the closure of the nation’s land borders, daily Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) consumption had dropped from 60million litres per day to 52million litres per day.
“I must say that I am very impressed with the caliber of the team members of ‘Operation White’ and am not surprised because every organization that I know is as strong as its leadership. The NNPC under the leadership of Mele Kyari epitomizes strong leadership. Am happy with the enthusiasm on the faces of the members and I am sure that we will succeed,” the Minister said.
On his part, the Group Managing Director of NNPC, Mr Mele Kyari, charged the team to deliver on the onerous national assignment of controlling leakages of petroleum products, especially PMS, adding that they have no option but to succeed.
He said that ‘Operation White’ would monitor and track every molecule of petroleum products imported into the country and follow it through to the pump, adding that the NNPC was poised to support the Federal Government in its quest to guaranteeing energy security for the country.
Kyari averred that NNPC under his leadership would continue to be transparent by ensuring that the entire operations of the Oil and Gas Industry remain visible to all Nigerians and all operators in line with his Management’s vision of Transparency, Accountability and Performance Excellence (TAPE).
Managing Director of the Petroleum Products Marketing Company (PPMC) and the team lead for ‘Operation White,’ Mr. Bala Wunti, said adequate institutional and governance structure of the team’s operations has been put in place.
Members of the team are drawn from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA), Petroleum Equalization Fund (PEF) as well as the Department of State Security (DSS).