NNPCL Reduces Fuel Importation, Hence Scarcity -Stakeholders 

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… blaming flood for the situation is a ruse

  … None of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd. (NNPC) depots has product

 A decrease in the importation of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) otherwise called petrol by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has been attributed to the current fuel scarcity being experienced in some parts of the country.

According to Business Standards Investigation, there has been decrease in the importation of the product by the company which is the only company that imports PMS into the country.

Many of the stakeholders spoken to by Business Standards said there are no serious vessels on the high seas carrying petrol currently and that they don’t know the reason why this is so.

 Some of the stakeholders also said the claim that the flood in Kogi  State has been responsible for fuel scarcity in Abuja and other parts of the country was not true as the process has been building up even before then.

According to them, even before the unfortunate incident of the flood, many fuel depots in Lagos have been experiencing fuel supply shortages from the NNPCL. They claimed that the flood only aggravated the situation.

The chairman of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Western Zone, Dele Tajudeen,  and claim supports this assertion when he said none of the NNPCL depots has products.

“We want NNPCL to tell Nigerians why it has scaled down supplies. Major depots in Lagos are empty they don’t have fuel to provide to their dealers, hence you see the few dealers that get the product are selling it at N180 and above in Lagos and Abuja.”

A call to the group general manager of NNPCL, Muhammed Garbadeen, Tuesday night was not responded to.

 Business Standards observed that a few days before the flood in Kogi, the product was being sold for N200 per litre and the dealers could not explain why it was so.

Fuel queues began to surface in Lagos on Monday and by Tuesday the situation has worsened as of today Wednesday.

 The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), on Thursday, last week appealed to members of the public to avoid panic buying fuel as all efforts are being made to resolve fuel shortages in some filling stations.

However, it blamed the recent shortage in fuel supply on the current flooding in Lokoja, Kogi State capital, adding that the flooding has caused the current fuel scarcity in Abuja and other states in the North.

In a statement on Thursday, NMDPRA, stated that the development had affected the distribution of petroleum products to the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, and environs.

It said water has submerged a greater part of the city and grounded all vehicular movements, adding that as part of measures to mitigate the situation, trucking via alternative routes is currently ongoing.

According to the statement, the Authority assured the public that there are sufficient petroleum products inland, pleading with the general public to avoid panic buying at fuel stations as the NMDPRA is working assiduously with relevant stakeholders and government agencies to ensure product availability across the country.

It advised marketers to desist from hoarding the product to not inflict hardship on Nigerians.

It further reiterated its commitment to Nigerians to ensure the seamless supply and distribution of petroleum products nationwide.

 People are now asking if there was a flood in Lokoja which has created fuel shortage in Abuja and other places, is there flood in Lagos too?

 They believe that the Authority is not telling the truth about what is happening.

Meanwhile, the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Western Zone, has attributed the increase in the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit to the hike in private depot prices.

 Dele Tajudeen, Chairman, IPMAN Western zone, disclosed this against the backdrop of the ongoing fuel scarcity in Lagos.

Tajudeen, while condemning the increase, said that there had been increase in the depot prices of fuel from N148.17 per litre to N178 per litre since last week.

According to him, none of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd. (NNPC) depots has products and the private depots took advantage of the situation to hike the price.

“The only option for our members is to opt for private depots to keep our business moving.

“We are totally against the increase because it will affect our profit margins and the masses.

“Some private depots who have the product, deliberately, refused to sell for reasons best known to them,” he said.

The IPMAN chairman said that the marketers should not be blamed for the increase in pump price, adding that “selling at N170 per litre is not realistic”.

Tajudeen said, “Therefore, our members have no other option than to sell between N195 and N200 per litre within Lagos, Ogun and Oyo states, while we will sell between N200 and N210 in Kwara, Ondo, Osun and Ekiti states.

“Most of the tank farm owners have justified this increase because of different charges, among which are vessels charges paid in dollars.

“We are equally calling on the management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd. (NNPC) and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) to investigate the arbitrary increase in fuel price by the private depot owners.

 

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