Association calls for national rollout of tracking system to curb smuggling, boost transparency, and safeguard Nigeria’s petroleum supply chain.
The Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) has called on the newly appointed management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) to urgently activate the long-proposed “Petroleum Products Passport”—a digital platform designed to track and secure petroleum products across the country.
In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday, PETROAN’s National President, Dr. Billy Gillis-Harry, emphasized the importance of leveraging technology to ensure product accountability from depots to retail outlets.
What is the Petroleum Products Passport?
The Petroleum Products Passport is a digital document that contains essential data on the origin, quality, and specification of any petroleum product being transported. Though it is already in use by some independent marketers, Gillis-Harry urged the NNPC Ltd. to implement it nationally, citing its potential to enhance product integrity, improve security, and prevent diversion or smuggling.
“We are looking forward to ensuring that the petroleum products passport platform is activated for national use to ensure the safety of tankers,” said Gillis-Harry.
“It ensures that products are secured, safe, and received at their destinations without being hijacked or smuggled.”
Broader Agenda for New NNPC Leadership
Dr. Gillis-Harry also laid out additional expectations for the new NNPC Ltd. leadership, including:
- Boosting domestic refining: He advocated for producing an extra one million barrels of crude oil per day dedicated solely to local refineries to ensure adequate feedstock.
- Focusing on transparency: Describing NNPC Ltd. as a publicly-owned entity, he called for improved communication to build trust and accountability among Nigerians.
- Repairing national refineries: Gillis-Harry stressed the importance of quickly rehabilitating NNPC refineries to increase domestic output and reduce import dependency.
- Industry consultation: He urged for stronger engagement with retail outlet owners to prevent arbitrary fuel pricing and foster better industry coordination.
Endorsement of New NNPC Leadership
Congratulating the newly appointed GCEO Bayo Ojulari and Board Chairman Ahmadu Kida, Gillis-Harry described them as “seasoned professionals” and praised President Bola Tinubu for making strategic choices.
President Tinubu announced the new appointments on April 2, as part of broader reforms to reposition Nigeria’s oil and gas sector. The administration aims to:
- Raise crude oil production to 2 million barrels per day by 2027 and 3 million by 2030
- Scale gas production to 8 billion cubic feet daily by 2027 and 10 billion cubic feet by 2030
- Increase NNPC’s crude refining output to 200,000 barrels daily by 2027 and 500,000 by 2030
These targets are central to Nigeria’s economic diversification plans and energy security goals. For PETROAN, the Petroleum Products Passport stands out as a necessary tool to streamline this transformation and secure the fuel supply chain from source to station.