Fakoyejo OlalekanThe Secretary of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Abuja-Suleja, Mohammed Shuaibu, has revealed that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited is yet to respond to their request for Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) supply.
According to Shuaibu, all depots that belong to major marketers in the Apapa axis of Lagos are empty because the NNPC has dropped the PMS, also known as fuel, at only depots belonging to MRS and Pinnacle.
As a result, both depots are overwhelmed, making it difficult for the government to meet the demands of retailers. He explained that when the products have finally been supplied, it takes one month or three weeks to distribute the product from South to North.
“as it is now, the government is bringing in products. But the issue now is that virtually all the depots that belong to major marketers in Apapa axis of Lagos are empty.
“So there is now pressure on MRS and Pinnacle depots where NNPC drop products,” Shuaibu said, adding, “So, there are over 1,000 tickets of marketers who have paid to have their trucks loaded, but we don’t know what is happening.
“Today they will tell you that they are upgrading the system, tomorrow you will hear that the system did not capture.”
He further stated, “you know that it takes much time to transport this product from the South to the North. Some trucks spend one month, especially when they have problems on the road, others spend two to three weeks.”
Due to the struggle in fuel supply, the cost of fuel has risen to N250 or N300 per litre in some filling stations still selling the product.
Note that the government-agreed price is N179 per litre, however, since the scarcity hit in 2022, retailers have been selling at various prices despite the oil industry operating a regulated system.
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