. Succor Underway as 300 million litre petrol-laden Vessels commence product’s discharging in Lagos
. Black marketers record business booms while filling stations ‘run out of fuel”
Two vessels laden with 300 million litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), known as petrol, which arrived at Lagos ports, have started to discharge the product, Platforms Africa reports, just as hardship caused by off-spec product supply bite harder.
The vessels, Platforms Africa gathered, arrived on Tuesday at ASPM jetty Ijora and Wednesday at Pinnacle jetty, Apapa, area of Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital.
A survey by this reputable media group shows that there is still a wide gulf in the market caused by dislocation and mop-up exercise as black marketers began to record business boom selling a liter of petrol freely between N200 and N250 in Lagos and Ogun states.
Curiously, while more petrol stations shut their gates against motorists with explanation that they have run out petrol, the black marketers’ supply is wet with the product.
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Investigation by Platforms Africa shows that many of the filling stations have begun profiteering by selling the product only to black marketers so as to make quick money before the system return to normal.
All the major filling stations between Tollgate and Oshodi along the Abeokuta-Lagos expressway as at 4pm on Tuesday shut their gates against motorists because of lack of supply. The same scenario, checks by Platforms Africa showed, played out on Lagos-Ikorodu expressway with the exception of a few stations like Mobil, Conoil and Nipco in Jibowu that were selling as at 2pm on Tuesday.
Long queues were at the TotalEnergies Abule-Onigbagbo Filling station, the only station that was dispensing the product on the long stretch of road between Maryland and Ikeja.
In Sango-Idiroko road, all filling stations between Oju-Ore and Iju also shut their gates. Platforms Africa reports that sharp practices were noticed in this axis as Mobil filling station in Oja Ota, and Nipco station in Arobieye were seeing on Tuesday dispensing the product for only the black marketers who, in return, sell to motorists waiting outside the gate.
Meanwhile, the NPA document sighted by Platforms Africa further noted that 18 ships laden with other products are expected to arrive in the country from February 10 to 22. The expected ships contain wheat, fish, sugar, gas, container and cargo.
This corroborated the assurances of the Federal Government, which through the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), said that at least six vessels were ordered by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited had arrived in the country.
Chief Executive Officer, NMDPRA, Farouk Ahmed, said the vessels came in with 300 million litres of petrol meant to close the gap created by the adulterated petrol withdrawn from depots and filling stations.
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Platforms Africa, which broke the news of off-spec petrol importation into Nigeria and has demonstrated leadership and reliability in the reportage of the fall out, gathered that there is sleeplessness at NNPC. The state-owned oil firm is now working round the clock at this critical time to restore normalcy in the system.
On how long it will take before the system will return to normal, the National Operations Controller of Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Mike Osatuyi, said in an exclusive interview with Platforms Africa that it would be up to next week.
“The 15 days cycle, which started last week has to complete,” he told Platforms Africa.
“The off-spec product is being mopped-up from circulation and this effort has caused dislocation in supply. That is why you will see some stations without PMS while a few with the product have long queues,” Osatuyi said.
Lagos, Osatuyi told Platforms Africa, is peculiar because the volume consumed in Lagos is huge and any slight hitch in supply can be noticed almost immediately. The NNPC is now doing its best at this critical time and we believe the effort will yield desired outcome soon.
“My message to Nigerians is that we should show understanding at this moment by not panic buying. Marketers with supply presently also have the responsibility of not hoarding the product. The situation should be remedied in the next days if everything goes as planned.”
