FG Halts Fuel Supplies to Filling Stations Close to Borders

• FG Halts Fuel Supplies to Filling Stations Close to Borders

The Federal Government on Wednesday has directed that fuel stations within 20 kilometres of the Nigerian land borders should not be supplied petroleum products.

The Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Hameed Ali, stated in a memo issued on Wednesday and signed by Chidi A, the Deputy Comptroller General for Enforcement, Investigation and Inspection.

The memo read: “The Comptroller-General of Customs has directed that henceforth no petroleum product no matter the tank size is permitted to be discharged in any filling station with 20 kilometres to the border.”

“Consequently, you are all to ensure strict and immediate compliance, please.”

The Federal Government closed Nigerian land borders in August to force decorum across borders and halt smuggling into and out of Africa’s largest economy.

The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, said since the borders were closed, Nigeria’s daily petrol consumption dropped from 60 million litres per day to 52 million. Suggesting that about 8 million litres were been smuggled out of the country to neighbouring nations on a daily basis.

“There is a thriving market for Nigerian petrol in all the neighbouring countries of Niger Republic, Benin Republic, Cameroon, Chad and Togo and even Ghana which has no direct borders with Nigeria,” said Maikanti Baru, the former Managing Director, NNPC.