Petrol scarcity in Abuja caused by inadequate supply, says IPMAN

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) says the petrol scarcity currently experienced in Abuja is caused by the inadequate supply of petrol from depots in Lagos.

On Monday, long queues were seen in some filling stations at Apo, Garki, namely AYM Shafa, A A Rano and Oando. 

The situation was the same at Conoil filling station, opposite Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) towers, central business district, Abuja.

This year, I witnessed the most frustrating fuel scarcity in Abuja – of all places. The longest lines you'll see in Abuja, the country's capital city, are: queues at the filling stations, black market merchants, lined up on the major roads, selling petrol and commuters waiting/1

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— Ichie_Esq (@ogbuefiodidika) June 5, 2022

Chinedu Okoronkwo, IPMAN president, spoke with NAN on the issue on Monday.

He said the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine had disrupted the smooth distribution of petrol, also known as, premium motor spirit (PMS).

He said marketers and transporters are now finding it difficult to bridge products to other parts of the country from the depots.

“The huge amount spent in running the diesel trucks to transport fuel is very discouraging because we are running at a loss,” Okoronkwo said.

“The current N165 per litre pump price for PMS cannot fit in into the present realities without the pricing template being reviewed.

“We appeal to the government to look into the situation by either reviewing the freight rate or providing palliatives to all marketers to restore normalcy to distribution.

“The palliative can be making diesel accessible for marketers at discounted rates so that we can easily transport products across the country.”

Okoronkwo commended the government for the bridging claims paid so far to marketers, adding that efforts should be made to clear the outstanding amounts.