The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) on Tuesday said that the ongoing fuel scarcity might linger on as marketers faced the challenges of non-availability of petrol in depots.
Speaking in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos, Alhaji Ahmed Debo, the Chairman, Western Zone of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) on Tuesday, said that the ongoing fuel scarcity might linger on as marketers faced the challenges of non-availability of petrol in depots.
As fuel queues resurfaced within the Lagos metropolis, the IPMAN boss disclosed that marketers are facing serious challenges because there is no petrol to load.
"There is no product to load to the hinterland; most marketers depend on Lagos and they could not get product; so, it’s very difficult getting petrol in Ilorin, Kogi, Osun, Ekiti, Ibadan and others.
"We hope that government would expedite action on petrol importation to salvage the situation as most marketers had been thrown out of business.
"We could not load petrol in major depots in Lagos as it is only NIPCO and Folawiyo that hav product which is strictly for NNPC retails outs.
"Loading tickets given to marketers couldn’t work as there is no petrol to load in any depots," he said.
Debo, however, urged President Muhamadu Buhari to urgently intervene on the lingering fuel scarcity issues and importation challenges to avoid hindering socio-economic growth of the nation.
"We are still having the fuel problem because there is no supply. Even with the little we are rationing, if you look at the queues very well, they have returned to what they used to be. And it is a very devastating situation now.
"Most of the depots are not loading well. Even the products they promised that they will soon pump to the depots are not in sight now," he added.
NAN correspondent who monitored the situation reported that the slight improvement in recent days has worsened as queues grew longer on Tuesday at the few petrol stations selling the product in Lagos. It was also gathered that fuel queues grow longer in Lagos metropolis, while loading at depots has not improved significantly, with many of them still attending to tickets issued of 2015.
In Lagos, many filling stations did not have the product, while those who had sell within N150 to N220 per litre. Some stations on Ikorodu road like NIPCO, Total, Conoil and Forte oil are selling but experiencing long queues.
The Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Mr Garba Deen Mohammed , had assured motorists and other users that the current shortage would soon be over as the problems had been largely resolved.
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