Fuel Depots Shutdown Amid Scarcity
Motorists, workers and traders were yesterday caught unaware by the sudden reappearance of fuel scarcity across the states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
While at some bus stops, hordes of commuters struggled to board commercial buses, many filling stations were under lock and key.
Economic Confidential, however, gathered that the situation might worsen as depots nationwide stopped loading tankers for deliveries to marketers.
Sources close to the depots and marketers said that until they were sure of what price the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) would sell fuel to them at the depots, they will remain shut.
IPMAN’s National Vice President, Abubakar Maigandi, also confirmed that all the depots had stopped loading.
He, however, ruled out allegations that marketers were hoarding fuel.
“There is enough product, but up till now, they (depots) refused to load. Our trucks are in all Nigerian depots but they are not loading now. They stopped loading today (yesterday). You know yesterday (Monday) they didn’t load because of the inauguration (of President Bola Tinubu) and the public holiday,” he added.
Maigandi said that ”panic buying” was the major cause of the long queues seen across the country
In spite of the stoppage of loading by the depots, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) assured in a statement that it has sufficient stock of fuel.
Group Chief Executive Officer of the company Mele Kyari, also said that “they were monitoring all distribution networks to ensure that scarcity did not reoccur.
Similarly, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) said it had been monitoring fuel situation across the country to stop marketers from hoarding.”
Fields reports, however, showed that few stations that dispensed fuel yesterday had long vehicular queues and jerry can-bearing residents waiting endlessly for hours.
Although some of such stations, especially in Lagos, sold fuel at N185 per litre, buyers were made to part with between N200 and as much as 1,000 before being attended to by attendants. At some of such stations, N185 displayed on their pumps, but they sold far above that.
The situation worsened in the evening yesterday with motorists lamenting the astronomical hike in transport fares.
