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The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation has announced that it has recommissioned a previously moribund depot in Kano State in order to improve petroleum products supply to the northern part of the country, according to a statement released on Thursday.

Speaking during a ceremony in Kano on Wednesday, Maikanti Baru, NNPC’s Group Managing Director, said the recommissioning of the depot was in line with the presidential mandate of revamping national oil assets.

“Today’s re-commissioning is also strategic as it is one of the several strides embarked upon by NNPC under its 12 Business Focus Areas (12BUFA) Programme aimed at repositioning the Corporation towards sustained profitability,” Baru said.

The Kano Depot is part of the NNPC’s System 2D Pipeline Network, which was shut down in 2014 owing to the activities of pipeline vandals. Baru said the NNPC has spent about N1.6 billion, between January and December 2016, to secure and maintain the vandalized points on the Kaduna-Kano pipeline.

The NNPC executive said the recommissioning of Kano Depot came after the Corporation reopened other facilities such as the Port Harcourt-Aba pipeline and Atlas Cove-Mosimi depot and pipeline.

“Efforts are underway to re-commission other national assets such as the Jos, Gombe, Suleja and Gusau depots,” Baru said. “Also, the remaining parts of Mosimi-Ibadan-Ilorin as well as Aba-Enugu pipelines will soon test our collective resolve to get the nation’s critical oil and gas infrastructure back on stream,” the NNPC’s GMD said.

In his remarks, Governor Abdullahi Ganduje commended the NNPC for restoring operations at the depot, adding that the development would bring more prosperity to Kano people.

“Today is a historic day for us in Kano. With the depot now back on stream, our people would have abundant petroleum products at their doorstep,” said Governor Ganduje, who was represented by his deputy, Hafizu Abubakar. “Most importantly, it will boost economic activities within our state.”