Nigeria at 64: Marketers, refiners upbeat on fuel price drop as Nigerians groan
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company, NNPC Ltd, has assured Nigerians that the ongoing fuel scarcity and queues will be cleared out Wednesday, May 1.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, the Chief Communications Officer, NNPCL, Olufemi Soneye, disclosed this to newsmen on Tuesday in Lagos.
He said the company currently has an availability of product exceeding 1.5 billion litres, which can last for at least 30 days.
“Unfortunately, we experienced a three-day disruption in distribution due to logistical issues, which has since been resolved.
“However, as you know, overcoming such disruptions typically requires double the amount of time to return to normal operations,” he said.
He said: “Some folks are taking advantage of this situation to maximize profits.
“Thankfully, product scarcity has been minimal lately, but these folks might be exploiting the situation for unwarranted gain
“The lines will be cleared out between today and tomorrow.”
Meanwhile, the National Vice President of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, lPMAN, Hammed Fashola, expressed optimism that the queues in Lagos and Ogun would ease off this week, relying on the words of the NNPCL.
Fashola, however, stated that the queues in Abuja might tarry a bit due to the distance to Lagos.
“The information available to us from the NNPCL was that there was a logistics problem, and when that happens, it will disrupt the supply chain.
“That might be a delay in the movement of ships from the mother vessel to the daughter vessel before it gets to the depot tanks.
“Before we can correct that, surely it will take some days. I think by Tuesday or Wednesday, there will be more products available for lifti¹ng by marketers.
“It might take time before it can ease off in Abuja, considering the distance to Lagos and the bad roads; Lagos might be calm this new week,” Fashola assured.
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