By Abdulai Fasineh Dumbuya
The Executive Chairman of the Petroleum Regulatory Agency (PRA) Brima Baluwa Koroma has said that nationwide fuel distribution starts today and assures the public of no price increase on fuel as the government of Sierra Leone is committed to this pronouncement.
He made this statement on May 23 2024, whilst updating journalists about the agency’s commitment in addressing the fuel situation, assuring the public of enough fuel.
During the engagement with journalists, he said the fuel shortage is due to limited suppliers in the market now; saying the National Petroleum (NP) and Leonoil are the only suppliers operating across the country so far. This, he said, led to a number of queues at NP stations and said other dealers are as well receiving their products from NP.
“For the last four weeks only NP and Leonoil have been supplying fuel. And there is no shortage of Diesel and it is as available as it is accessible,” he said.
He said in as much as fuel shortage is a pressing issue that they are keen to address, he confirmed that there is enough diesel available in the country and can be used until July. He advised fuel stations to be attending those in need of diesel and to desist themselves from placing anxiety on customers by not communicating the right information to them.
Responding to the question on the availability of fuel in the country, he said more than 17 metric tons of fuel would have arrived in the country during the weekend of Friday 24th May to Sunday 26th May that will be followed by massive fuel distribution from dealers and suppliers to filling stations nationwide.
He advised the fully licensed owners to act according to the PRA Regulatory Act, saying that all those who are licensed for supply and storage should work in tandem with the licenses’ conditions that give them the mandate to operate so that fuel distribution will be carried out diligently.
“Dealers have to respect the details of the license condition so that their operations can be welcomed by the customers,” he said.
Commenting on the issue of why certain districts have quicker fuel shortages than others, he categorically pointed out that Kambia District has the highest rate of consumption as well as one of the highest gas stations nationwide. Yet, he said it receives as much the same number of supplies as other districts.
In order to manage such a consumption gap, he said they have assigned certain individuals to surveillance the workings of gas stations across the borders, including Falaba District, to report reliable and accurate information about any incident of fuel being taken across the border.
Koroma assured the public of PRA’s commitment to responding to all the lingering concerns regarding fuel shortage across the country and to address related issues head on.
Copyright © 2024 Politico (27/05/24)
