State-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) is partnering with the Africa Union of Transportation and Logistics Organization (AUTLO) to halt cross-border petroleum leakages.
Nigeria currently consumes approximately 50 million liters of petrol per day, of which a significant percentage is smuggled illegally into the neighboring countries of Niger, Benin, Chad and Cameroon, representing a major threat to the nation’s fuel supply and distribution matrix.
Last Thursday, the NNPC received a delegation from AUTLO at its headquarters in Abuja, where NNPC Group Managing Director, Dr. Maikanti Baru, called upon members of the regional union to enforce strict adherence to transport laws and regulations. These laws included but were not limited to compliance with speed limits, axial weight of haulage tanker requirements, and other regulations aimed to ensure the safety of roadways and prevention of illegal activities, according to a statement released by the NNPC.
President of AUTLO, Mustapha Chaeun, echoed the need for universal regulation of the transport and logistics sector across the continent. The union is comprised of groups from West, Central, East and North Africa.
“We expect collaboration at the level of development of the sector, transport sector, and to enhance human resources management,” said Chaeun, adding that there is the need to train professional drivers in the country’s transport sector.
A study conducted by the NNPC last year demonstrated a strong correlation between the multiplication of filling stations and fuel smuggling activities. The report also suggested that these activities had led to a surge in the consumption of petrol in Nigeria from 35 million liters per day to over 60 million liters per day, a significant deviation from the national consumption pattern.