There is a growing concern again among Nigerians as the price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), better known as fuel or petrol, is nearing ₦1,000 per litre at filling stations across states, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja.
Naija News understands that the supply of petrol has experienced intermittent availability throughout the nation, resulting in numerous filling stations being unable to provide the product.
Recent findings have revealed the unpleasant experience of motorists and general consumers of the product in FCT and various States across Nigeria.
It has been revealed that at certain stations operated by members of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) in the satellite towns of the FCT, petrol is being sold for nearly ₦1,000 per litre.
Meanwhile, motorists are enduring extensive wait times at the outlets of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and a select few major oil marketers that are dispensing fuel within the city of Abuja.
The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria has attributed the ongoing petrol shortage to a lack of direct supply from the NNPCL.
Speaking on the development on Thursday, a former Chairman of IPMAN, Ejigbo Depot, Lagos, Akin Akinade, told Daily Trust that: “Our members have no direct supply from NNPC. We buy from Third Party. We buy at DAPMAN (Depot and Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria) Depot in Abule Ado.”
FCT/Abuja
Naija News learnt that numerous fuel stations in Abuja were closed yesterday, while the few that were operational experienced extensive queues.
This predicament began several days prior to the #EndBadGovernance protest, which started on the 1st of this month and has continued for over two weeks since then.
At the Umaru Ngelzarma Filling Station located in the Lokogoma area of Kabusa District in the FCT, one of our reporters noted yesterday that petrol was being sold at ₦980 per litre.
Additionally, at Christee’s Petrol Station, also situated in the Lokogoma area of Abuja, the price for the product was recorded at ₦950 per litre.
Long lines were observed at the NNPCL station in Katampe, along the Kubwa Expressway, where motorists indicated they were prepared to spend the night in order to purchase fuel at ₦617 per litre.
Another NNPCL station at Airport Junction, Jabi, was not dispensing fuel during a visit by one of our reporters yesterday.
This scenario was consistent across most petrol stations in Abuja and its surroundings, primarily due to the scarcity of the product.
Lagos
Journalists in Lagos reported yesterday that long lines formed at NNPCL stations offering fuel at ₦568 per litre, while other stations such as Mobil, MRS, and North West charged between ₦600 and ₦650 per litre.
Commercial drivers shared their significant worries regarding the ongoing scarcity and the steep price increases at the limited stations that are still operational, primarily located on the outskirts of the nation’s commercial hub.
“The hike in fuel price is the major problem we have in Nigeria. I bought ₦900- ₦950 in Calabar, that is why I have not travelled again. It is affecting our business.
“I left my bus because some filling stations sold ₦1,000 per litre,” Omotayo Adenikeju, a transporter, told newsmen.
However, a former chairman of IPMAN, Ejigbo Depot in Lagos, Akinade, told Daily Trust that third-party vendors from which some of their members source the product, “sell to us ₦840, ₦850; and by the time you add transportation to that, there’s no way our members would sell less than they’re selling.
“If they bring down their price, we’re also going to bring down our price. We’re in business to make money.”
Kano
Motorists in Kano reported purchasing fuel at ₦950 per litre from independent oil marketers’ stations, while NNPCL stations offered it at₦620.
This includes locations such as Kano Line, Kofar Nasarawa, Club Road near Murtala Muhammed Way, and Tal’udu Sabon Titi.
A commercial driver, Habibu Sani, expressed a preference for waiting in line at the NNPCL station rather than paying over ₦900 for a litre of fuel. Another driver, Kabiru Yakasai, stated that he had to park his vehicle due to the unaffordability of fuel priced above ₦900 per litre.
At an AY Maikifi outlet on Maiduguri Road, it was noted that fuel was being sold for ₦900, while A.A. Rano Station on Gyadi-Gyadi Zaria Road was dispensing it at ₦730.
Bashir Umar, an independent oil marketer in Kano, explained that the current supply shortage is due to marketers hesitating to transport fuel from Lagos, fearing a price drop once Dangote Refinery begins its market supply.
He indicated that marketers acquire fuel at ₦900 per litre in Kano and subsequently sell it for ₦950, accounting for transportation expenses.
Maiduguri
Reports from this region revealed that virtually all the NNPCL filling stations in the Borno State capital are located at the Bulumkutu area, along Kano Road; Mohammed Indimi Way, Off Damboa Road and Galadima Junction along Low-Cost Road, were closed yesterday.
A driver, Aminu Idris, said: “We cannot afford to buy petrol from independent marketers at ₦950”.
Speaking, IPMAN Chairman, Borno State chapter, Mohammed Kuluwu, told journalists that most stations in the state deliberately suspended fuel supply owing to “the crisis resulting from the #EndBadGovernance protest”.
Oyo
Naija News authoritatively reports that fuel is currently being sold at ₦850 and ₦900 at several filling stations in the Oke-Ogun axis of Oyo State.
Our correspondent, who recently bought fuel at two different stations, reports that the product was sold on Monday at ₦850 and subsequently, on Thursday, many of the petrol stations changed their pump price to ₦900.
Meanwhile, black markets around this region of the state currently sell the product at exorbitant prices.
CSO’s Reaction
Naija News reports that the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has conveyed its concerns regarding the ongoing fuel scarcity affecting Nigeria.
In a statement released by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, HURIWA articulated its dissatisfaction with the federal government’s lack of response to this issue.
The organization noted that fuel scarcity has become a prevalent issue nationwide, with Abuja and other significant urban areas consistently experiencing extended fuel queues.
“Despite the various excuses provided by the NNPCL, the crisis persists, leading to speculations that the company may be benefiting from the situation.
“In the past three months alone, the NNPCL has churned out no fewer than five different excuses for the ongoing fuel scarcity, ranging from logistics challenges to supply chain disruptions.
“However, none of these explanations hold water, given that the crisis continues to linger unabated. If the NNPCL were serious about resolving the issue, they would have done so by now”, it said. HURIWA alleged that if the NNPCL had not benefited from the fuel crisis, it would have resolved it long ago.
“The simultaneous occurrence of fuel scarcity and the reported challenges faced by the Dangote Refinery suggest an orchestrated effort to undermine the refinery’s operations, further entrenching the NNPCL’s monopoly over Nigeria’s petroleum industry,” the organization noted.
However, the NNPCL has yet to issue any official statement regarding the recent development as of the time of filing this report.
[NaijaNews]