Kaduna — Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) has stated that even if all the refineries in the country operate at their optimal level of 18 million litres per day, the country would still have to depend on importation of fuel as Nigeria's domestic demand as at today stands at about 31 million litres.

The DPR Zonal Public Relation Officer in Kaduna, Mallam Mohammed Saidu, while shedding more light on the current scarcity of petroleum products in the country, explained that the country would still have to import to bridge the gap.

He added that the situation has even become critical in view of the refusal of marketers to import fuel into the country and that even if the NNPC decides to import the entire products, it would take some time before its becomes available to all.

"For sometime now the marketers have been importing fuel. NNPC too imports, our refineries have not been operating at optimal level. Even when they are operating at such level there will also be the need to import so as to bridge the gap between what is gotten in the country and the actual amount needed for domestic consumption," he said.

He added that the products would soon be available in the country as the NNPC has commenced massive importation of the product.

He criticised some people for hoarding petroleum products in their filling stations amid acute scarcity. About 30 fuel stations in Kaduna State have been sealed up by official of the agency who have been carrying out surveillance checks on most stations since the scarcity started immediately after the Easter break.

Disclosing that 2,217 trucks-loads of petroleum products were supplied to Kaduna in March and April, Saidu said 14 stations were also shut in the month of March for selling at N100 per litre, while 17 more stations were sealed up in April for the same offences of hoarding and selling above N65 per litre.

While stating that DPR is committed to ensuring that the little products the country imports is completely sold to the public, Saidu also added that a particular station was caught hoarding 8,800 litres of petroleum. The fuel, according to him, was quickly sold to the public and the station sealed. He also added that any station sealed during fuel scarcity will be fully punished when the product becomes available as none will be made available to that station.

The regulatory agency has equally decided to only allow products to be given to stations that did not engage in any sharp practices during the fuel scarcity, as a way of encouraging them to continue to behave.