.. petrol stations under locks and keys amid supply chain concerns
Oredola Adeola
As Nigerians continue to grapple with severe fuel scarcity, leading to the surge in the cost of Premium Motor Spirit (petrol), which has reached as high as N700 to N1000 in Lagos, Abuja, and other parts of the country, Advisors Reports confirmed that motorists are not only dealing with the skyrocketing fuel prices but also grappling with a significant concern over the quality and quantity of the petrol they are receiving.
This was the fate of most motorists in the last few days since Wednesday when fuel scarcity hit all the major cities across the country.
Olufemi Soneye, Chief Corporate Communications Officer NNPC Ltd, had in a statement obtained on Thursday by Advisors Reports, emphasised that the prices of petroleum products are not changing.
He therefore urged Nigerians to avoid panic buying, assuring that products are sufficient in the country.
While the NNPCL has warned Nigerians against panic buying, claiming that the current tightness in the supply of petrol in some areas across the country is due to logistics issues that have been resolved, wide speculations are circulating among the public about a potential price adjustment likely to take effect from May 1, 2023.
Meanwhile, Chinedu Ukadike,Public Relations Officer of Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, (IPMAN) in a recent statement attributed the crisis to the supply chain challenges caused by ongoing maintenance at refineries in Europe.
He said, “The situation is that there is no product. Once there is a lack of supply or inadequate supply, what you will see is scarcity and queues will emerge at filling stations.
“On the part of NNPCL, which is the sole supplier of petroleum products in Nigeria, they have attributed the challenge to logistics and vessel problems.
“Once there is a breach in the international supply chain, it will have an impact on domestic supply because we depend on imports.
“I also have it on good authority that most of the refineries in Europe are undergoing turnaround maintenance, so sourcing petroleum products has become a bit difficult.
“NNPC Group CEO has assured us that there will be improvement in the supply chain because their vessels are arriving. Once that is done, normalcy will return. This is because once the 30-day supply sufficiency is disrupted, it takes two to three months to restore it.
“We expect that by next week or so, NNPC should be able to restore supply and with another week, normalcy should return,” IPMAN spokesman said.
Meanwhile, Advisors Reports: orrespondent who monitored the situation in Lagos at the weekend received tales of adulterated fuel and instances of under-dispensed fuel, adding to the woes of the already strained motorists and petrol end-users.
Some of the motorists in Lagos who spoke with our correspondent alleged that some stations were under locks and keys as they anxiously awaited the possible price changes that may alter the cost of the product.
Advisors Reports uncovered a stark reality as most major and independent filling stations remained shuttered, with the few open ones selling petrol at prices ranging from N700 to N900 per litre.
Not a single filling station along the entire stretch from Berger through Ikeja, Ogba, to Agege welcomed customers as they were under locks and keys.
Despite the scarcity, only a handful of stations along the Lagos-Abeokuta expressway, from Oshodi to Tollgate, dared to sell petrol, drawing long queues even at prices of N750 and up to N800 per litre.
Amidst this chaos, black marketers seized the opportunity, peddling petrol to desperate motorists at exorbitant rates of up to N1000 to N1200 per litre.
The scene in Abuja was distressing for motorists, as the scarcity of petrol led to chaotic conditions at the few stations that were open during the weekend.
Our correspondent gathered that the NNPCL stations in Abuja sold the product at ₦568 per litre, while other retailers priced it between ₦600 and ₦650 per litre.
Notably, Shema filling station in Gudu, Abuja, sold the product at ₦690 per liter, with endless queues.
Meanwhile, black marketers also took advantage of the situation to sell petrol at exorbitant rates ranging between N1,000 and N1,200 per litre, further exacerbating the challenges faced by fuel marketers in Abuja.
On-the-ground investigation in Ibadan, Oyo state and some parts of Ogun State uncovered a wide range of fuel prices being charged across the city.
At the lower end of the spectrum, few of the NNPC stations were found to be selling petrol at a relatively affordable N580 per litre, while some Bovas stations, set the price at a staggering N620 per litre.
The independent fuel stations were found to be charging between N700 and N750 per litre, leaving many Ibadan residents frustrated and struggling to cope with the financial burden of fueling their vehicles.
Our correspondent observed that only a handful of stations from Mowe through Redemption Camp to Ojodu Berger off the Lagos-Ibadan express road were selling petrol, pricing it between N620 and N750 per litre.
The situation was also the same in Sango, Ota and Ifo axis.
