Petrol Scarcity: We Are In The Dark About Logistics Challenges, Says Oil Marketers
Oil marketers have said they do not have details of the logistic challenges that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) claimed are responsible for the current low supply of products nationwide.
Fresh petrol scarcity resurfaced on Wednesday last week and has worsened, leaving Nigerians to grapple with the effects of the development.
The scarcity has since driven up prices in Lagos to as high as ₦800 per litre in some filling stations belonging to the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), and as high as ₦1,200 per litre at the black market.
Before the scarcity, petrol was sold at around ₦610 per litre at stations belonging to the Major Energy Marketers Association of Nigeria(MEMAN). Some filling stations sell petrol for as high as N850 to ₦900 per litre in locations such as Maryland, Ikeja, Agege, Iyana Ipaja, and other outskirts of Lagos. In some states, the product sells for more than ₦1,000 per litre at filling stations. Even at that rate, most filling stations have since shut their doors due to a lack of products.
The NNPCL blamed the development on logistics challenges. The spokesperson for the company Olufemi Soneye said last week that the challenges have been resolved.
But almost a week later, oil marketers have said they are in the dark about the nature of those challenges. They also dismissed claims that they were hoarding the products.
“Do you blame oil marketers for the current situation? If NNPCL gives us products, we will sell them because we are businessmen. We are in this business to make money, so we won’t keep products in our tanks if we have,” the Chairman of IPMAN Satellite Depot, Lagos, Akin Akinrinade told Newsm.
“They said they have a logistics problem and have 240 million litres in store to distribute. But that was what they told us since last weekend. They said the logistics challenges have been resolved but they didn’t tell us the type of logistics problem they have.
“For now, NNPCL stations are mostly the ones selling with just a few others getting supply. But you know our members have the largest number of stations nationwide. If they give IPMAN stations products, you will see that the queues will disappear immediately.”
Currently, IPMAN has over 30, 000 filling stations nationwide.
