Oil marketers have explained that the reappearance of queues at filling stations in many states is because of the halt in the supply of petroleum products by dealers in a bid to avert losing their assets due to the ongoing nationwide hunger protests.
Many states in Nigeria, including the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, witnessed varying degrees of queues about two weeks ago, which the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited blamed on a hitch in the discharge operations of a couple of vessels.
While the company and stakeholders worked together to tackle the challenge, the nationwide protest against hunger and economic hardship commenced on Thursday, August 1, 2024, disrupting petrol supply again and causing the reappearance of queues in some states.
The national public relations officer of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Chief Chinedu Ukadike said that marketers were advised to close their stations during the protest to avoid losing their assets.
He also stated that many tankers did not load products during the first and second days of the protest, stressing that this distortion in the supply chain would cause shortages in states where the products would have been supplied.
The PUNCH was informed by sources that the depot owners declined to operate because they feared violence.
Petrol was priced between N850 and N1,000 per liter at filling stations in Warri, Delta State and the surrounding areas on Sunday, making it scarce.
Due to the ongoing statewide #EndBadGovernance protest, the majority of dealers blamed the scarcity on members of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers not loading supplies at the depots.
But they did hope that when and if the demonstrators put down their swords and go back to work, things would return to normal.
TimesNow.com.ng reported that filling stations have increased their pump price for Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), popularly known as petrol, amid ongoing scarcity that started in Abuja and has spread to various parts of the country.
Daily Trust reports that fuel prices have surged, ranging between N800 and N900 per litre in some states, significantly higher than the official pump price.
Black marketers have also taken advantage of the situation, selling a litre of petrol for N1,000 to N1,500.
Source: TimesNow.com.ng
