The Independent Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), western zone, has assured Nigerians that fuel scarcity would soon end.
Dele Tajudeen, IPMAN zonal chairman (western zone), gave the assurance on Tuesday in Ibadan.
“We just rose from a meeting with the authority concerned and we had a very useful discussion with the authority. One, we have to address the issue of availability and cycle. We appeal to people to bear with us, as the scarcity will fizzle out gradually,” said the IPMAN zonal chair.
“By the special grace of God, by next week, we will start to see changes and the queues will disappear.”
Mr Tajudeen said there was no directive stopping its members from continuing with their operations, pointing out that the speculation on shutting down of filling stations was not from the association.
He was reacting to the speculations making the rounds that IPMAN had directed its members to stop operations and shut down their filling stations to protest the fuel price hike.
According to him, IPMAN has units and zones, and its South-West zone comprises Lagos, Sapele, Ibadan, Ore, Ilorin and Mosimi depots. He stated that the depots in the zone had not been directed to shut down operations.
Mr Tajudeen added that the directive from the Maiduguri depot did not affect IPMAN members in other parts of Nigeria, particularly in the South-West region.
“As far as we are concerned, as the zonal chairman, I have authority of other chairmen in the zone. We are not closing our stations. The letter you are seeing is from Maiduguri; look at the letter very well. It emanated from Maiduguri and has nothing to do with the South-West,” Mr Tajudeen explained.
The price of petrol has risen to N340 per litre in Dutse, the Jigawa capital. The situation has subjected the residents, especially motorists, to chaos and hardships.
There were long queues of vehicles at filling stations on Sunday as they sold petrol at N340 per litre.
The Dutse NNPC mega station has been shut down since January 8 following a fire incident.Also, most of the filling stations within the city were not opened.
At Awajil Global Resources, IMG Petroleum, Maruta Petroleum and Investment, on Ibrahim Aliyu bypass, motorists and commercial motorcyclists were in long queues waiting to refuel their tanks.
Audu Manager filling station and AA Kankani Nig. Ltd, on Olusegun Obasanjo Road had long queues of vehicles, selling petrol at N340 per litre.
Filling stations like A.S.A Oil Nig. Ltd., B.A Bello Nig. Ltd and Matrix, on Ibrahim Aliyu bypass, were not selling petrol at the time of filing this report.
Motorists expressed dissatisfaction over the fuel scarcity. A motorist, Aminu Muhammad, described the situation as frustrating, urging President Muhammadu Buhari and other stakeholders to bring lasting solutions to the scarcity.
A Dutse resident Muhammad Askira, said the Buhari regime should direct security agencies to monitor filling stations to ensure they sell fuel at the approved pump price.
Ahmad Rufa’i, a farmer, said the situation was making him produce at a loss.
“I plant wheat maize and every week I need at least 20 litres to water my farms. And I need to water these two farms at least 20 times. So how much money do you expect me to spend on fuel alone, not talk of transport and other logistics,” stated Mr Rufa’i.
“So most of us are doing this farming without any certainty of whether we gain or we lose.”
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has tackled Bola Tinubu, saying he should not exonerate himself from the anti-people policies of President Muhammadu Buhari-led government.
This came a few hours after Mr Tinubu, presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), accused the Buhari regime of using the fuel scarcity and recently-introduced naira notes to block his chances in next month’s poll.
“Let them increase the price of fuel, only them know where they have hoarded fuel, they hoarded money, they hoarded naira; we will go and vote and we will win.
Even if they changed the ink on Naira notes,” he said on Wednesday at his campaign in Abeokuta, Ogun state “Whatever their plans, it will come to nought. We are going to win. Those in the PDP will lose (won ma lule).”
But in swift reply, the opposition party, in a statement, said Mr Tinubu was only trying to hoodwink Nigerians and blame others for fuel scarcity currently being experienced nationwide.
“It is unfortunate that Tinubu is trying to hoodwink Nigerians by seeking to exonerate himself and blame others in the Buhari led-APC administration from the biting fuel scarcity in the country, when in reality he (Tinubu) is known to be behind the insensitive and anti-people policies that have brought so much calamity to our country including the current persistent fuel scarcity,” Kola Ologbondiyan, spokesperson for the PDP said in the statement obtained by Peoples Gazette.
The two-term former governor of Lagos state would be facing 18 other presidential candidates among which are Atiku Abubakar (PDP), Peter Obi (LP), and Rabi’u Kwankwaso (NNPP), even as Mr Buhari has repeatedly promised to allow a level-playing field during the next month’s election.
Speaking further, Mr Ologbondiyan specifically took a swipe at the former Lagos governor, saying that blackmailing Mr Buhari would not help Mr Tinubu win the election.
He stressed that politician who has always won elections by relying on bullion vans has now become troubled over the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) monetary policy to redesign the naira.
“How can Asiwaju Tinubu accuse an administration he had been a part of since 2015 of trying to sabotage the 2023 elections except he is making revelations to Nigerians about their plans? It is imperative to state that Nigerians, who are prepared to trek distances to cast their votes are the patriots who have been at the butt of pains which the government Asiwaju Tinubu installed has foisted on them.
“In any case, from the songs of lamentation of Tinubu, it is clear that his Presidential life ambition has collapsed,” the PDP spokesperson added.
There are now different fuel prices in the country just after fuel queues resurfaced in some states.
The Nation reported that Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), otherwise known as fuel, sold for between N198 and N200 in Lagos, Ogun, and Oyo states against the official pump price of N165 at stations operated by major dealers and N175/180 by independent marketers.
The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Western Zone, blamed the development on the lack of fuel at Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) depots.
It added that private depots hiked prices to N178 per litre as against N145. According to the association, it is practically impossible for its members to continue to sell at N175/180 per litre. Chairman of IPMAN Western zone, Dele Tajudeen, said yesterday.
“None of the NNPCL depots has petrol. Private depots took advantage of the situation to hike the price. The only option for our members is to opt for private depots to keep our business moving.
“We are totally against the increase because it will affect our profit margins and the masses.
“Some private depots who have the product, deliberately, refused to sell for reasons best known to them.
“Our members have no other option than to sell between N195 and N200 per litre within Lagos, Ogun, and Oyo states. We will sell between N200 and N210 in Kwara, Ondo, Osun, and Ekiti states.
“Most of the tank farm owners have justified the increase because of different charges, among which are vessel charges paid in dollars. We are equally calling on the management of the NNPCL and NMDPRA to investigate the arbitrary increase in fuel price by the private depot owners.”
An official of the Depot and Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPMAN), who preferred to be anonymous, blamed the scarcity on a shortfall in product allocation from the NNPCL.
Also speaking to the publication, a station manager of an NNPCL filling station said;
“For five days now, I have been parading the depot to lift fuel but to no avail. Besides, prices have been increased at private depots because since my station is under NNPCL, we cannot increase pump prices without a directive.
I can’t also go to any private depot to buy because I won’t be able to sell at the regulated price by NNPCL.”.
Fuel queues hit major cities of Lagos, Abuja and Ogun on Monday, forcing motorists to spend hours at filling stations.
In Lagos and Ogun states, The PUNCH witnessed long queues at several filling stations such as Mobil, Capital, Fatgbems, Enyo, TotalEnergies and NNPC.
Though there were products at these filling stations, which also sold at N165/litre, motorists struggled to get gasoline with which to run their economic lives.
There were also queues in states bordering the FCT, including Nasarawa and Niger.
In the Federal Capital Territory, there were long queues at various filling stations such as the NNPC, Mobil, A.A. Rano, AYA Ashafa, Enyo, among others.
Hundreds of motorists besieged the few filling stations that dispensed petrol at various states, spending hours on queues in a bid to buy PMS.
Oil marketers blamed the development on the drop in supply, stating that the demand for petrol was currently higher than what was being provided by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.
NNPC is the sole importer of petrol into Nigeria, shouldering this responsibility for more then four years.
Speaking on the development, the President, Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria, PETROAN, Billy Gillis-Harry, said, “Lagos is having queues today, Kaduna is almost not having any PMS in its retail outlets.
“So, it is simply a situation of demand overwhelming supply. The supply process is not efficient to be able to meet the demands for products.”
Asked to explain whether there was not enough product, Gillis-Harry replied, “Well, clearly, if there is product, it should be delivered. However, I know the authorities are doing their best to make sure that everyone is monitored and encouraged to sell products at the approved pump price.
“But there are no products in the retail outlets, which is why there will be queues. So, it clearly shows that demand has overwhelmed supply.”
But lastThursday, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Regulatory Authority had stated that there were over 32 days sufficiency of petrol by the NNPC.
Also, The PUNCH learnt that the NNPC intentionally cut down supply of products to fuel marketers.
A source familiar with the matter told The PUNCH that marketers, two weeks ago, had a meeting with the marketing arm of the NNPC and the Pipelines and Product Marketing Company, PPMC, where they were quizzed on diversion of petroleum products to neighbouring countries.
According to the source, the supply of products to oil marketers was subsequently reduced due to issues around product diversion.
“We had a meeting with PPMC two weeks ago where we were told that the volume of product we load is too high. So, the NNPC has reduced the volume they give to us,” the source said.
Nigeria consumes an estimated 60 million litres of fuel per day. However, findings showed that by PPMC’s record, marketers loaded as much as 106 million litres per day as of April.
“So, PPMC kept lamenting and asking us where the extra products go. Of course, we all know that they go to neighbouring countries where they are being sold at higher prices. Apart from the fact that diesel price for transporting products is on the high side, fuel is a product highly subsidised by Nigeria, and Nigerians are not allowed to enjoy the benefits,” our source disclosed.
Diesel is a deregulated product. Checks on Monday showed that the product was sold between N780-N820/litre.
“That’s why marketers find it difficult to take products to the North. I don’t know why Lagos is experiencing scarcity. Already, buying and transporting the product to my station is at N170 per litre. So, how much will I sell? That means price has increased itself. If you go to states like Ibadan, Ekiti, Akure, it’s impossible to see the price at N165 because cost of transporting one litre is already N20. So, by the time you take it to states like Ekiti, you already have it at N182,” our source added.
A former chairman, Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria and Chairman/CEO, 11 Plc, Tunji Oyebanji, told The PUNCH that the scarcity was temporary.
“As of last week, there were some talks about low stock and suppliers not giving products, but I think it’s a temporary glitch because NNPC told us they have sufficient stock of fuel,” he said.
Fuel sold at N165/ltr in places like Ikorodu, Anthony, Surulere, Ikeja, Festac, Ago and VI in Lagos on Monday, but prices were higher at Isheri and its neighbouring towns.
In a telephone interview with The PUNCH, the National Operations Controller, IPMAN, Mike Osatuyi, said the scarcity was no fault of oil marketers.
Meanwhile, the Secretary of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Akeem Balogun, in a statement on Monday, said that considering the current price, it is impossible for the product to be sold at N180 per litre.
Balogun advised members to sell at a sustainable price within their environment adding that they should ensure that the price is on their pump.
“Distinguish marketers, the Chairman and executives in conjunction with some senior members of our unit, organised a press conference where we explained our predicament with the current price of PMS at private depot. We explained that with the current price, there is no way we can sell less than N180 per litre”
According to him, “On this note, members are hereby advised to sell at a sustainable price within their environment. Just make sure that the price is on your pump. Kindly contact the Secretariat should you have any authority challenging your operations”
The Federal Government on Sunday called for understanding from Nigerians as the fuel scarcity entered its second week.
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, made the call in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Communications, Horatius Egua.
The minister assured Nigerians that the federal government was working assiduously to ensure the adequate distribution of petroleum products in the coming days.
“It is not a time to trade blames as is customary in Nigeria. It is, therefore, not a time to query anyone but a time to come together to salvage the plight of the average Nigerian.
After the storm settles, there will be time enough to investigate and get to the bottom, so that this does not repeat itself.
“President Muhammadu Buhari’s charge to all parties and agencies concerned is to work together to ensure that normalcy returns quickly.
The Nigerian people deserve the best and the government is determined to set the country on the right path of petroleum products availability and sustainability.
“In the last weeks, Nigerians have grappled with fuel scarcity not because of the absence of supply of products but due to inspection failure, which allowed adulterated products into the country.
“This is regrettable, and the Federal Government sympathises with the citizenry over the unforeseen hardship, occasioned by the inevitable scarcity.
“Let me once again appeal to Nigerians to be patient with the government in finding lasting solutions to the crisis.”
We use cookies to optimize our website and our service.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
