Petrol queues persist as NNPC delays dirty fuel evacuation
As motorists struggle to buy premium motor spirit, many fear that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Limited is yet to evacuate polluted petroleum from fuel stations, a situation that may take a bad twist if it prevails.
According to the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), whose members retail over 90 per cent of the products used in Nigeria, while consultants are working to deduce the volume of the dirty fuels still in tanks, petrol marketers are running at a loss.
According to The Guardian, filling stations distributing products intentionally attempt to frustrate consumers by forging artificial scarcity through long queues and, in many cases, products are only sold in the evening, creating brisk business for the black market.
In several parts of Lagos, the product is being distributed at N200 a litre and N400 in Abuja.
According to the vice President of IPMAN, Abubakar Shettima, most tankers have now diverted to Nipco depot to load the right speculation of premium products, adding that the recent scarcity would lessen before mid-week.
Furthermore, NNPC Limited had acknowledged that four PMS cargoes imported by four consortia of its direct sale, direct purchase (DSDP) had imported adulterated fuel into the country, leading to petrol scarcity across the country.
The importers are MRS, who imported through vessel MT Bow Pioneer and loaded at Litasco Terminal, Antwerp -Belgium, Emadeb/Hyde/AY Maikifi/Brittania-U Consortium, which used vessel MT Tom Hilde and loaded from the same terminal, Oando loaded through MT Elka Apollon from the same terminal as well as NNPC’s subsidiary, Duke Oil used MT Nord Gainer and also loaded the vessel from the same terminal.
Shettima remarked that the marketers, who have dirty fuel in their tanks, are stuck because the products have not been removed for them to run their operations.
According to him, the government may need to consider assuming the burden of their losses.
“There are slight challenges already. We are expecting more products by Tuesday. There was a gap in supply so it will take time for supply to normalise. The products have to be delivered via road and you know the associated challenges.
“Our consultants are working on the dirty fuel. The products have not been returned to NNPC. We need to know the quantity.” he said.
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