…appeal to the public to stop panic buying
Olusola Bello
Members of the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN) have assured the Nigerian public that its members are working with the regulatory Authorities and NNPC towards a resolution of the current fuel crisis.
According to a statement signed by Olumide Adeosun Chairman, Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria, It stated that MOMAN subject matter experts are active contributors to the technical and commercial committees set up by the regulatory Authorities to re-stock fuel supplies, resolve the blending of contaminated products and identify losses suffered by customers, operators and third parties. “MOMAN’s committee of chemists are also working with designated laboratories to double-check the quality of the product (reblended or new) before they are released into the fuels supply chain.”
“Most importantly, MOMAN members have committed resources towards enhanced operations and associated activities to reduce the burden of the current fuel scarcity to our customers. Towards this purpose, MOMAN members shall extend opening hours of jetties, depots, and filling stations to a minimum of 18hours a day and where possible up to 24 hours a day in high density and flagship locations where the security situation permits.”
The association promised that its members shall operate these extended hours until the excessive queues subside and therefore urged customers of MOMAN members not to panic buy as it might take a few days for normalcy to return and panic buying increases the pressure on the supply chain.
Similarly, member companies of Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN) have expressed their empathy with their customers and the Nigerian public on the current hardships faced in the unfortunate event of the importation of some quantities of off-spec Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) popularly known as “Petrol” into the country.
According to the chairman of DAPPMAN, Dame Winifred N. Akpani in a press statement, the association says it has been working assiduously with the regulatory authorities from the onset to curtail further distribution of the off-spec fuel in all DAPPMAN Depots and retail outlets.
“DAPPMAN also seconded versatile professionals to the Technical and Commercial Committees set up by the regulators (NMDPRA) and stakeholders who have initiated best practices ‘Standard Operating Procedures to ensure not only that the off-spec products are quarantined professionally, processed, tested and certified good for distribution to the market, but we are also working with NNPC Ltd through its subsidiary, the PPMC LTD, to ensure that adequate stocks of ‘on-spec’ petrol are made available to Nigerians in all nooks and crannies of the nation.”
“DAPPMAN assures all our customers and the general public that all hands are on deck and DAPPMAN Depots and retail outlets have commenced, within the security and safety limits allowance, extended hours of loading from our various depots and in all our retail outlets until the situation normalises. We believe with the support and co-operation of all stakeholders, including PPMC Ltd and the regulator, NMDPRA the current challenges of petrol purchase from our various retail outlets will be over.”
DAPPMAN urges the buying public to kindly desist from panic purchases as some stocks of PMS have been received by our members for distribution to our retail outlets and other registered, interested and willing retailers while much more fuel-laden vessels have continued to arrive.
