The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) says it is intensifying efforts to flood the market with petrol and other products to ease scarcity pervading the country.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that many motorists and travellers had been groaning in pains in the last few days over the persistent fuel scarcity across the country.

The NNPC spokesman, Mr Ndu Ughamadu, said on Saturday in a statement in Abuja that already, six major marketers: Total, Forte Oil, Oando Plc, MRS, 11 Plc and NIPCO Plc, were loading products round the clock from their various depots in Lagos for onward trucking to other parts of the country.

“The supplies are mostly from cargoes of PMS imported by NNPC which are daily berthing, and immediately being made to discharge their products to stem the supply hiccups.

“The imported products are also being supplemented by supplies from the local refineries.

“NNPC assures Nigerians to remain calm and not to engage in panic buying as the end of the challenge is nigh.

“Marketers are strongly advised against hoarding as security agencies, working with industry regulators, will mete out appropriate sanctions to defaulters,” Ughamadu said.

The NNPC Group Managing Director, Dr Maikanti Baru, had earlier in the week, said that the corporation’s one billion litres of PMS cargo imports had started to arrive.

He said that supplies to various parts of the country had been doubled to 80 million litres per day since the current hiccup in the supply chain was noticed few days back. (NAN)