Petrol filling stations across Nigeria have adjusted their pump prices from N62 per litre to new prices, following the scarcity of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as petrol, especially in Abuja. However, the new scarcity is majorly felt by residents of Abuja and other northern States like Jigawa, Kebbi.
The new scarcity comes amid reports that Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) owes around $3 billion to fuel traders for imported petrol. Oil marketers are blaming the NNPC for the new scarcity.
The marketers under the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria, (PETROAN), and the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, (IPMAN), confirmed the return of fuel scarcity.
PETROAN National President, Harry Billy suggested the current scarcity is due to a lack of supply from NNPC.
He noted that the only source of petroleum products is when there is no fuel, which means the state-owned oil firm has not supplied it, saying, “We, as members of PETROAN, source our product exclusively from NNPC. Whenever NNPC supplies us with the product, we deliver.
“We are not the importers; we do not manage the daily inventory, so we cannot confirm whether NNPC has the product or not. We are the extension that makes their efficiency. So if you see scarcity like this that is affecting the place, the way I saw it yesterday (Friday), it is simply the fact that our principals are working out the process to see how they can buy PMS for our members. That is exactly how it is”.
Meanwhile, IPMAN National President, Abubakar Maigandi, who confirmed that NNPC sells petrol at N570, noting that private depots have adjusted prices.
“Prices at these depots have risen sharply from N630 to N715 per litre, significantly higher than NNPC’s unchanged depot price of N570/litre”, he stated.
On Saturday, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) witnessed heightened tensions as only select outlets operated by NNPC remained operational. NNPC filling stations were yesterday said to dispense petrol at N617/litre, attracting long queues, while A.A. Rano and NipCo stations priced their fuel at N690/litre. Black market traders were however selling the product ranging from N9,000 to N11,000 per litre.
There were long queues in many filling stations across the Federal Capital Territory, (FCT), Nasarawa, Niger, Gombe, Sokoto, Kaduna, and Anambra States, leaving thousands of commuters stuck.
It is however more challenging for Kaduna motorists, who were forced to buy the product from black marketers for as high as N1,100 per litre.
