In Abuja and nearby Nasarawa and Niger states, the queues for petrol got even longer on Thursday. The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited said the problem was due to logistics issues, but they quickly stated that it had been fixed.
On Thursday, petrol remained hard to find in the Federal Capital Territory and some other states in the North. This led to many filling stations shutting down, while the few open ones had long lines of people waiting to buy the fuel.
The cost of the product rose to an average of N700/litre at independent marketers' stations. However, the very limited number of NNPC retail outlets that sold the fuel kept the price at N617/litre as approved by the oil firm.
Fuel marketers informed our reporter that the supply of PMS to Abuja via the Suleja Depot in Niger State had been consistently low. They emphasized that fuel trucks were no longer coming to the Suleja Depot and other depots in the North as they used to.
As reported by The PUNCH on Thursday, many filling stations in Abuja and about five other states were closed on Wednesday due to the scarcity of PMS, causing heavy queues at the few stations that had the fuel.
According to the report, a large number of commuters in the Federal Capital Territory, Nasarawa, Niger, Gombe, Sokoto, and Anambra states were left stranded at various bus stops due to the shortage of PMS required for transporters to operate their vehicles.
As a result, transport fares increased in the affected states, with the few transporters who had petrol raising their rates.
The situation persisted on Thursday, as the Secretary of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Abuja-Suleja Branch, Mohammed Shuaibu, informed our reporter that there was still a low supply of PMS to the capital city and its surroundings.
“The supply of PMS is low while the demand is high. Right now, only NNPC retail stations in Abuja and other northern states are selling at N617/litre. Every other station has varying prices.
“The current situation at the Suleja Depot, which supplies Abuja and its surroundings, is very poor. The trucks are not coming, and we have been informed that there is a reduction in supply from the depots in Warri and Lagos, where products usually come from.”
When asked if the NNPC was not bringing in enough PMS to meet local demand, Shuabu responded, “This could be another reason because it is often when there is a shortage of supply that we experience this scarcity and long queues.
“However, the NNPC retail stations are making an effort because they are the only ones that have not changed their pump prices and have maintained the uniform price of N617/litre in the northern region.
“But apart from that, all other marketers, whether major or independent dealers, have varying prices. Some sell PMS at N700/litre, while others charge even higher rates. If the situation does not improve by next week, you might end up buying it at N800/litre.”
The IPMAN official urged the Federal Government to step in by ensuring an increased supply of petrol through the NNPC, emphasizing that many motorists were now resorting to panic buying.
NNPC reacts
The Chief Corporate Communications Officer of NNPC, Olufemi Soneye, said the scarcity was caused by logistics issues, without giving more details.
He assured that the issue had been fixed and urged drivers not to panic buy because NNPC, the only importer of petrol, had enough products.
He mentioned, “The NNPC Ltd wants to explain that the tight supply of Premium Motor Spirit in some areas is due to logistics issues, which have been resolved.
“It also wants to emphasize that the prices of petroleum products are not changing. It advises Nigerians to avoid panic buying as there are enough products in the country.”
