From Uche Usim, Abuja

Minister of State Petroleum Resources, Mr Timipre Sylva, on Thursday compared the scathing petrol scarcity to an accident that was totally unintended, nerve-racking and destabilising.

Sylva made the comparison in Abuja at a media briefing, insisting that the Buhari administration has consistently worked hard to ensure petroleum products were available nationwide at the right price.

He urged consumers to exercise patience as products will be available to clear the long queues in a matter of days.

He said: “This kind of supply disruptions are like accidents, they are not desirable and you don’t expect them to happen but they do happen once in a while. You will agree with me that this administration has done well as far as fuel supply is concerned.

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“But accidents do happen and this is one of those accidents that was not foreseen but I am quite happy today to hear from the Group Managing Director and the Authority (Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority) Chief Executive all that they have been doing to ensure that this problem is under control.

“From what they have told me, I believe that in a matter of days we will see that this problem is totally back to normal. Everybody is putting every effort to ensure that the supply disruption is overcome,” he added.

Earlier, the Group Managing Director of NNPC Limited, Mr Mele Kyari reiterated that the Corporation has enough petrol in stock to end the shortages, saying “we are doing everything possible to bring the situation under control.

“We have significant product in stock and as at this evening, we have 1.79 billion litres of premium motor spirit on ground and we are continuing the 24 hours loading at the depots and selling at some selected petrol stations”.