Nigeria’s fuel consumption has reduced by 30 per cent since the stoppage of petrol sale at towns/villages within 30 kilometres of the country’s land borders.
Hameed Ali , comptroller general of customs, stated this on Thursday when he appeared before the House of Representatives Committee on Customs.
Ali said the directive banning sales of petroleum product in fuel stations located 20 kilometres to the border will be reviewed as it was not a permanent order, saying the decision was taken to ensure that Nigeria no longer subsidises fuel for other countries.
Ali who appeared before the House Committee on Customs also disclosed that before the order, which was taken at a high security level meeting, the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) was contacted to furnish the Customs with a list of petrol stations legally licenced to operate in the area.
Ahmed Rufai Sakur, the director of Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), said about 400 illegal fuel stations are operating in Nigeria’s border communities with about 923 others licensed to operate there.
He said the DPR refused to give the Customs the list almost one year after it promised to do so, adding that the Customs even offered to separate legal and illegal stations on its own.
He disclosed that what can be done on an interim basis is to identify about three or four legal fuel stations in the border communities that will be supplied fuel on a regular basis while records of such supplies will be given to the Customs to enable them monitor dispensation and sale.
