…NNPC, Stakeholders Vow To Restore Normalcy
…petrol sells for N900 per litre
Some oil marketers who feared the repercussions of their name being mentioned that they are disagreeing with the position of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) have said the current queues are caused by a lack of fuel rather than a logic problem.
They feared that the reasons why there are queues may be because the company has no fuel, and stated that the queue may last till the end of the week.
They claimed attempt by NNPCL to force some marketers to load on Sunday, which is usually not the case failed because their depots are empty. The fact that even those that loaded on Sunday could load less than 30 trucks.
Meanwhile, it was learnt that the management of the company has given a directive that 80 percent of daily loading should be taken to Abuja while other states are given less attention.
The NNPC Ltd in a press statement on Monday stated: “NNPCL Ltd wishes to state that the fuel queues seen in the FCT and some parts of the country, were as a result of disruption of ship-to-ship (STS) transfer of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as petrol, between Mother Vessels and Daughter Vessels resulting from the recent thunderstorm.
The adverse weather conditions have also affected berthing at jetties, truck load-outs and transportation of products to filling stations, disrupting station supply logistics.
The NNPC Ltd also states that due to flammability of petroleum products and in compliance with the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) regulations, it was impossible to load petrol during rainstorms and lightning.
Adherence to these regulations is mandatory as any deviation could pose severe danger to the trucks, filling stations and human lives.
Similarly, the development was compounded by consequential flooding of truck routes which has constrained movement of PMS from the coastal corridors to the Federal Capital, Abuja.
The NNPC Ltd is working with relevant stakeholders to resolve the logistics challenges and restore a seamless supply of petrol to affected areas.
Already, loading has commenced in areas where these challenges have subsided, and we are hoping the situation will continue to improve in the coming days and full normalcy would be restored.
The NNPC also calls on motorists to avoid panic buying and hoarding of petroleum products.
Meanwhile, a significant hike in fuel prices is being noticed, with some outlets selling at an alarming rate of N900 per litre.
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and surrounding states were also hit by the worst supply crisis in recent times, leading to long queues stretching kilometres and causing heavy gridlock in the seat of power.
In the FCT on Monday, many filling stations were shut, while the few that had petrol sold as high as N900 per litre. There was also a boom in the black market, as a 10-litre container of petrol sold for as much as N12,000.
In Abuja, the queues stretched from the NNPC Mega Station on the Gwarimpa axis of the Zuba-Kubwa Expressway to Conoil and Total filling stations, directly opposite the headquarters of the national oil company in the city centre, as well as Salbas filling station at the Dei-Dei end of the Zuba-Kubwa expressway.
In Zone 1, the NNPC Mega Station on Olusegun Obasanjo Way was selling, while the one opposite GSM village also had the product, but with incredibly long queues. Other stations around the area, including Total filling station, did not have the product.The story was the same in Niger and Nasarawa states.