The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, (IPMAN), has assured Nigerians of the availability of petroleum products across the country from today, Wednesday.
Maigandi made the caution yesterday, while
speaking as a guest on a television programme, warned motorists against panic buying. “The government and the NNPC are working on it”, he stated.
“There is no way we can sell those contaminated because it will affect motorists. However, car owners should stop panic-buying. By God’s grace, today or tomorrow, the product will be available nationwide”.
Recall that Nigerians woke up to queues at various filling stations across the country on Monday. By yesterday morning, the queues extended across cities as citizens scrambled for various quantities of the products.
It affected Lagos and Abuja as filling stations shut down services, causing long queues. In some instances, long queues were seen with no petrol attendant to attend to the customers.
The scarcity currently being experienced is said to be due to efforts by regulators to recall contaminated imported petroleum products.
Sources say most of the petrol Nigeria imported under the Direct Sale, Direct Purchase, (DSDP), contract through an international marketing and trading company of LUKOIL, Litasco, had a high content of methanol and Ethanol, which are outside the official specification of Nigeria’s petrol.
In a video that circulated online, a petrol attendant was seen complaining about how adulterated petrol supplied to the station is damaging motorists’ cars and motorcycle engines. When asked who was to be held responsible, Maigandi said IPMAN buys its product through the NNPC and private depots.
He, however, said NNPC is working seriously to see that they get the correct product so that the marketers will continue loading.
