The President of the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN), Billy Gillis-Harry, has identified the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL)’s failure to supply Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol, as the primary cause of the recent fuel scarcity affecting Abuja, Nasarawa, and other states. This revelation came during an interview on Saturday amid reports of the re-emergence of fuel queues across various parts of the country.
Fuel queues have resurfaced in the nation’s capital and neighboring states, including Nasarawa, as motorists scramble to secure petrol. Reports indicated that several filling stations, such as the NNPCL retail outlet along the Kubwa Expressway and Ranoil in Gwarimpa, witnessed massive queues on Friday. However, many stations along the Kubwa Expressway, Lugbe, and Airport Road axis were without fuel on Saturday morning.
Gillis-Harry lamented the situation, noting that despite visiting numerous filling stations in Abuja, he found none with available fuel. He explained that fuel marketers are unable to fix prices independently as they do not import the product themselves but rather sell it based on the price set by NNPCL, the sole importer.
“We don’t have the product; that is the reason for the scarcity. We cannot fix a price because we don’t import the product; it is NNPCL that is the sole importer,” Gillis-Harry said. He added that there is a supply challenge with NNPCL, which is responsible for the distribution of petrol.
When questioned about the potential impact of the upcoming fuel supply from the Dangote refinery, expected to commence in mid-July 2024, Gillis-Harry indicated that the refinery had not yet supplied any fuel, including Automotive Gas Oil (diesel). He emphasized that while the Dangote refinery, with its capacity of 650,000 barrels per day, is a significant development, NNPCL must not halt its imports in anticipation of the refinery’s output.
“The issue is that there is a supply challenge with NNPCL. NNPCL has just a few filling stations. PETROAN and other stakeholders have several across the country. It is critical to ensure that all major stakeholders are aware of the things happening in the sector to avoid situations like this,” he explained.
Attempts to reach the NNPCL spokesperson, Olufemi Soneye, were unsuccessful as he did not respond to calls or texts. Meanwhile, Abubakar Maigandi, the National President of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, requested to be contacted later for comments on the issue.
This fuel scarcity comes as the National Bureau of Statistics reported that the average price of petrol per liter rose to N769.62 in May 2024, exacerbating the challenges faced by Nigerian consumers.
