The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has warned that the current petrol scarcity may persist for another two weeks.
News About Nigeria reports that this was disclosed by IPMAN’s Public Relations Officer, Chinedu Ukadike, on Sunday.
According to Ukadike, the product is currently unavailable in the country due to challenges in sourcing it from international markets.
He attributed this to the ongoing turnaround maintenance in most European refineries, which has disrupted the global supply chain.
Ukadike stated, “Once there is a breach in the international supply chain, it affects domestic supply, and we rely on imports.”
He, however, expressed optimism that the situation would improve soon, citing assurances from the NNPC Group CEO that vessels are arriving to restore the 30-day supply sufficiency.
The IPMAN spokesperson also identified importation bottlenecks and delays in the renewal of marketers’ licences by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) as contributing factors to the acute scarcity.
The fuel scarcity has severely impacted transportation in several cities, including Abuja and Lagos, with many fuel stations shutting down and others accused of hoarding the product, leading to persistent queues at dispensing stations.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) on Thursday identified logistics issues as the cause of the persistent fuel scarcity in some parts of the country.
According to Olufemi Soneye, Chief Corporate Communications Officer of NNPCL, the corporation has sufficient products to meet the demand and therefore urges Nigerians to avoid panic buying.
The statement read in part: “The tightness in the supply of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) has been resolved, and we reassure Nigerians that there is no change in the prices of petroleum products. We have sufficient products in the country, and we urge citizens to avoid panic buying.”
