The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC has said that there was hitch in the products supply system in the Lagos area arising from the leadership tussle between the Mobil branch and national office of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers Union.
The NUPENG members were protesting against what they called the unjust removal of the members of the Tunde Akinade-led executive of the association.
Lagosians in the past two months had heaved a sigh of relieve following the steady supply of fuel by the NNPC, while about N2.6 billion has accrued to a special account in the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) since the petrol price modulation regime came into force on January 1, 2016. However, checks carried out by our correspondent last week revealed that long queues have resurfaced in filling stations in some parts of Lagos.
In virtually all the filling stations in the metropolis, there were long queues of vehicles and motor cyclists, struggling to get the product. The scarcity created a field day for road side petrol hawkers, who made brisk business by selling to desperate buyers. For example, a four-litre gallon was sold for between N600 and N700, as against the official one-litre price of N86.50k.
The scarcity was also noticed within the Mile 2 – Apapa axis, where some filling stations remained closed.
According to Ohi Alegbe, Group General Manager, Public Affairs, NNPC, the management of the midstream subsidiary of the NNPC, the Pipeline and Products Marketing Company, PPMC, has intervened in the dispute as he assured that normalcy will soon be restored. Alegbe explained that there was sufficient stock of products in Lagos and across the country and advised motorists not to resort to panic buying as the situation was under control. He further reiterated the Corporation’s commitment to uninterrupted product supply to the general public in keeping with its mandate.
Many of the marketers have shut down their stations because they are not making profit at the official price. In fact, I have also shut down one of my stations and I am also planning to shut another one before month end.
It was learnt that most of the independent and major marketers have imported and emptied their tanks; they are now waiting for next allocation.
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