- Select marketers are already using the Petroleum Products Passport, a digital document containing vital information about the origin, quality, and specifications of petroleum products.
- PETROAN called for revitalising the Petroleum Industry Stakeholders’ Forum to keep communication open between industry players.
As the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) begins a new chapter under fresh leadership, industry stakeholders call for bold reforms to tackle long-standing issues in the downstream sector.
Among the most urgent suggestions is the adoption of a digital Petroleum Products Passport—a traceability and accountability tool that promises to transform product movement across the country.
In a recent interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Dr Billy Gillis-Harry, National President of the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN), urged the new management to prioritise the activation of the platform as part of its broader effort to secure Nigeria’s petroleum product supply chain.
The Petroleum Products Passport is a digital document containing vital information about the origin, quality, and specifications of petroleum products. Select marketers are already using the platform partially, but it has yet to be adopted nationally.
According to Gillis-Harry, nationwide activation would ensure that every litre of fuel lifted from depots can be tracked to its final destination—reducing theft, smuggling, and diversion.
“We’re advocating for the national rollout of the Petroleum Products Passport to safeguard the integrity of fuel delivery from depots to filling stations. It’s a necessary tool to protect tankers, prevent hijacking, and ensure accountability,” Gillis-Harry said.
In addition to security and traceability measures, PETROAN urges NNPC Ltd. to ramp up domestic crude refining by producing an additional one million barrels per day exclusively for local use. This would guarantee consistent feedstock supply for Nigeria’s underperforming refineries.
The call aligns with the federal government’s ambitious plan to increase daily crude oil production to two million barrels by 2027 and three million by 2030. For gas, the target is 8 billion cubic feet daily by 2027 and 10 billion by 2030.
Dr Gillis-Harry further emphasised the need for transparency in NNPC Ltd.’s operations. As a publicly owned company, he argued, Nigerians must be consistently informed of the company’s activities to foster trust.
He also called for revitalising the Petroleum Industry Stakeholders’ Forum to keep communication open between industry players. He advised the new board to consult directly with retail outlet owners to prevent arbitrary fuel pricing and support sustainable distribution.
PETROAN’s recommendations follow President Bola Tinubu’s appointment of Mr Bayo Ojulari as the new Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of NNPC Ltd. and Mr Ahmadu Kida as non-executive Chairman.
Describing the appointments as “a square peg in a square hole,” Gillis-Harry expressed confidence in the new team’s ability to lead the sector toward greater efficiency and accountability.
As Nigeria seeks to transition from an oil-export-dependent nation to one that refines and distributes its resources efficiently, stakeholders agree that technology, transparency, and collaboration will be essential.
The Petroleum Product Passport may be just the first of many reforms that could reshape Nigeria’s energy landscape—if the momentum is sustained.