Marketers Blame Low Supply, for Fuel Scarcity, NNPCL Disagrees

Oil marketers stated on Thursday that the reason behind the long queues at petrol filling stations in Abuja and neighbouring Nasarawa and Niger States is the insufficient supply of Premium Motor Spirit by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited, NNPCL.

The NNPCL, which is the sole importer of the product, refuted the oil marketers’ claim, attributing the queues in the affected areas, particularly Abuja, to “price war”.

The queues for petrol at filling stations in Abuja and its neighbouring states in particular, as well as some South-East and South-South states, have persisted in the past few weeks.

The National Public Relations Officer, Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN, Chief Ukadike Chinedu explained that the queues have continued because there is an insufficient supply of products.

He noted that though the NNPCL had promised to discharge some vessels of PMS at Warri, Lagos and Calabar soon, the products had yet to arrive.

This, according to the IPMAN official, was among the reasons private depot owners had raised the cost of their products, leading to the hike in the pump prices of petrol at retail outlets.

Speaking further, he explained that with the few depots that have petroleum products now, there will be serious profiteering and scrambling for PMS.

It is, therefore, important for NNPCL vessels to come in with products, particularly as we approach the Yuletide.

He also said the NNPCL has assured that there will be enough products during the Christmas period, but stressed that the fuel importer did not inform marketers when the expected PMS vessels would arrive.

Also speaking on the issue, the Secretary of IPMAN, Abuja-Suleja, Mohammed Shuaibu, stated that though the queues being experienced in some states were due to low supply volumes from NNPCL, and could also be attributed to the forthcoming festive season.

However, the Chief Corporate Communications Officer of NNPCL, Olufemi Soneye, said that the position of oil marketers regarding the re-emergence of fuel queues was not true.