KOTA KINABALU: A former Petronas service station dealer-turned-politician Datuk Jahid Jahim says all Petronas service stations in Sabah are 100 per cent owned by locals.
He said this showed the commitment and seriousness on the part of Petronas to really help and nurture Sabahans to succeed in petrol station business.
“In my experience for more than 10 years running a Petronas service station before venturing actively in politics in 2004, I really enjoyed the benefits of being a part of the nation’s leading petrol retail network.
“We received crucial support and services to extend our market reach, boost profitability and customers’ expectations,” he told Bernama yesterday.
In this respect, Jahid, who is now Youth and Sports State Assistant Minister, thanked the national oil corporation for prioritising Sabah’s interests.
He said one of the advantages of becoming a service station dealer is that Petronas handled everything on advertising.
“This means you don’t have to spend even a single cent on advertising. Petrol is everybody’s necessity and you make more profits with more petrol volume sold everyday.
“It’s a very stable and consistent business in the long run. All cars need petrol and there will be more and more cars in the future,” he said, adding that there were about 54 Petronas service stations operating state-wide.
Besidea that, Jahid said, they were many locals who benefited from businesses in Petronas’ transportation support services.
“I expect more and more Sabahans are set to benefit from Petronas, particularly in dealing with Petronas’ service stations and transportation support service as the oil industry is booming in Sabah,” he said of the future prospects for locals in this line of business and Petronas’ contribution to improve the quality of life of the people in the state.
Jahid acknowledged that the total involvement of locals in petrol station business proved that Petronas had helped provide business opportunities for Sabahans.
He also hailed Petronas’ commitment to embark on various projects such as the Sabah-Sarawak Integrated Oil and Gas Project; Sabah-Sarawak Gas Pipeline; Kimanis Power Plant; and Sabah Amnonia Urea Project.
Jahid believed that these major projects and other efforts being undertaken would become a powerful catalyst for the growth of Sabah’s petroleum industry, which would in turn help accelerate the state’s economic growth. — Bernama