Black Market Petroleum Dealers Invade Lagos Ports

There are strong indications that petty black market dealers of petroleum product may have taken full advantage of the petroleum scarcity being experienced in the country, even as scores of them can now be found hustling within the premises of the Tin Can Island port in Lagos.

There are strong indications that petty black market dealers of petroleum product may have taken full advantage of the petroleum scarcity being experienced in the country, even as scores of them can now be found hustling within the premises of the Tin Can Island port in Lagos.
As a result of the nature of the two terminals around the Tin Can Island port, being a vehicle- importing terminals, the black market boys are found hovering mostly around the Ports and Terminal Multiservices Limited (PTML) as well as around the Five Star Logistics Terminal, looking for potential customers.
Our correspondent last week spotted the boys carrying gallons of petrol and chasing after used vehicles that were just cleared that needed fuel to be able to move out of the port.
Due to the stress of locating filling stations around the port and the urgency with which the owners of the vehicles  need the commodity, the boys take advantage of the situation and sell the product at cut-throat prices.
Shipping Position Daily investigations also confirmed that many of the boys are equally located at the Mile 2 terminal of the PTML and that they are making use of the Fort Oil Filling Station around Berger Bus stop along Apapa-Oshodi expressway to hide their products.
Speaking with our correspondent on the development last week, a product supplier inside the Tin can Island Port who simply identified himself as ‘Shalom’ confirmed that the difference in the price of the product ranges from N500 to N1000.
Shalom explained that he is the only person that is permitted to supply diesel to trucks that are trying to make their way out of the Tin can port and that the Nigerian Ports Authority and the Port Police are already on the trail of other black market sellers.“I am working inside the port as a labour worker, the reasons why I am selling in the port is just because I work inside the port” , he explained.
“As I am talking to you now, a lot of trucks are stranded inside the port overnight, they need diesel to be able to move out of the port, but they cannot go outside the port to bring in product, so I that I am inside provide the support service of bringing it for them” he stated.
Shallom explain further that, “the price outside the port and the price inside is not the same, the difference is N500 or N1000, I don’t sell per litre, I start from 25 litre, if I go out to buy it for N4000, I can give it to them inside the port for N5000 or N4,500”.