As long fuel queues reduce, marketers sustain N200/litre price
By Our Correspondents
Fuel scarcity, which began sometime last week, has led to a surge in the prices of the product across different filling stations in the country despite assurance by the federal government that the product would continue to sell at a regulated price.
Just two days ago, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) assured that pump price for Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) would remain at N165 per litre following the position of some oil marketers that the current pump price for petrol in the country was unsustainable, following long queues that had surfaced in some cities across the country.
This assurance by the NMDPRA came on the heels of the recent agitation by the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) that PMS sold at N165 was no longer sustainable.
The Executive Director, Distribution Systems, Storage and Retailing Infrastructure, NMDPRA, Mr. Ogbugo Kalu said he was ever ready to enforce the price on independent marketers who are planning to increase pump price to N180 per litre.
“PMS is a regulated product. The price is fixed and the ex-depot price is known. The pump price remains at N165. So we continue to urge Nigerians to keep within these operating rules,” he explained.
Even though the queues have begun to pale out, the Petrol’s price has continued to skyrocketed, ranging from N180 to as high as N250 in some parts of the country.
The Nigerian NewsDirect reports that a heavy queue was spotted earlier yesterday in parts of Abuja, causing motorists to hike fare amidst gridlock occasioned by the scarcity on the Nyanya-Keffi expressway.
As at 7 a.m. yesterday, NNPC filling stations in the central area were selling at the real pump price of N165 per litre. But the queue was very long before one could get the product. Some motorists had to tip their way into the filling station through the help of louts.
While fuel stations outside the city centre like Orange filling station in Deidei axis sell at N210 per litre, but the queue wasn’t as long as those that sell at N165 per litre.
The problem of fuel scarcity occasioned by the sharp rise in diesel has continued to ease in Ogun State with little or no queue in some filling stations monitored over the weekend.
While the major marketers such as NNPC, Totalenergies, MRS, Oando sell the petroleum product at the approved pump price of 165/Litre, the independent marketers sell for between N180 and N190/Litre.
There was no queue in some of these independent marketers filing stations monitored in Sagamu, Ilisan Remo, Ikenne, and Abeokuta over the weekend, though little queue was observed in one of the major marketers filing stations, NNPC along Ijebu Ode/Benin expressway, Babcock University junction, Ilisan Remo.
It is observed that motorists are carefully avoiding buying fuel at some of these independent marketers owned filling stations except in a situation they could not help because of the hike in the pump price.
In the city of Ilorin, Kwara State Capital and its environs have in the last few days been battling with fuel price hike and scarcity.
Nigerian NewsDirect’s correspondent who went round some of the filling stations in the State reports that Araoje filling station, Sawmail Garage Ilorin witnessed long queues and scarcity as at the time of filling in this report. The pump price stands at N190per litre.
Bova petrol station Odo-ta along Lagos road Ilorin, experienced a long queue as the pump price stood at N165 per litre.
Also at the NNPC Asa-dam road, a long queue was seen while the pump price remained at regulated price.
The Lubcon Petrol Station, Taiwo Road was selling the product at N190 per litre price with few consumers present.
At Total filling station, Irewolede Yidi Road, Ilorin, the product was selling at the regulated pump price with no queues.
Also, at Imam petrol station, along Kwara Poly there were long queues as the pump price at the retail station stood at N190 per litre.
Some filling stations in Osun State have increased the pump price from N165 to N170, N175, N185 and N200 per litre.
It was observed that all the independent marketers in the state, including NIPCO, BOVAS, A.A RANO, Matrix, and Mobil were selling at N165 per litre.
A.A RANO, BOVAS filling stations in Osogbo the state capital were full to the brim at the slightest hint of PMS availability as motorists and petrol users struggled to buy fuel.
However, some filling stations in the Ejigbo Local Government area of the state were selling between the price of N195 and N200 per litre.
The consumers also appealed to the Federal Government to find a lasting solution to the fuel scarcity in order to ease the suffering of the masses.
Ayodele and Boluwatife who spoke with our correspondent expressed displeasure over the unstable price of petrol.
Meanwhile, some motorists and residents in Osun state have urged the federal government to do the needful as a matter of urgency to provide a lasting solution to unstable price Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), popularly called petrol in the country.
Speaking with Nigerian NewsDirect, Mr. Bala Emmanuel a civil servant said the hardship Nigerians are passing through over fuel scarcity is becoming unbearable.
According to him the petroleum product is at the depots, but refused to dismiss speculations that fuel subsidy removal was connected with the current scarcity.
“To experience Premium Motor Spirit scarcity in one of the largest OPEC countries is one more proof that Nigeria is not designed for the citizens but for a sect of men who lack empathy, vision and strategy to transform anything,” he said.
A commuter Serah Vincent said, “Some filling stations are even selling the fuel now at N250 per litre and when you buy 10 litres within two hours it finishes.”
He said despite the fuel scarcity most filling stations in Abuja have readjusted their pump nuzzles shortchanging customers and the law enforcement agencies are not checkmating them.
Reacting on the PMS scarcity, the Lead Strategist and Director of Nigerian Workforce Strategy and Enlightenment Centre (NIWOSEC) Dr David Kayode Ehindero said, “It is unfortunate that the people saddled with the responsibility of manning the energy sector are not executing their duties effectively.”
He called on the Government to take the bull by the horns by sacking those staff sabotaging the situation despite Government effort being put in place to salvage the fuel crisis.
In a related development, the concerned members of Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigerian (IPMAN), Ondo State Chapter have raised alarm over illegal evacuation of diesel, kerosene and premium motor spirit (PMS) from NNPC depot in Ore, Ondo State.
Ore Depot has been neglected for over fifteen years and it is worrisome to know that the products meant for Ondo and Ekiti states are currently being diverted to the northern part of the country in pretext of shortages in the North.
Salisu Ojo, who spoke on behalf of his co-marketers on Sunday disclosed that some people came with letters from NNPC headquarters to evacuate the diesel and kerosene.
According to him, they later discovered that the people who evacuated the products ended up diverting and selling the products to non-existing companies in Lagos to aid their diversion.
Having discovered the development, the marketers protested when the same set of people came with another letters to evacuate premium motor spirit (PMS) from the depot.
The marketers lamented that the people of Ondo and Ekiti states are currently suffering from non-availability of diesel, kerosene and PMS which had led to long queues at filling stations mostly in the state capital, Akure.
Long queues returned to filling stations in Akure and some cities within the state as a result of scarcity of petroleum products and different filling stations have been selling the products at different pump prices.
Some filling stations sell PMS at N200 per litre while diesel sells at N1000.
The aggrieved marketers, however, called on relevant agencies to investigate where diesel and kerosene that were loaded last week went into and also to make sure that the remaining pms (petrol) at the depot spread across the two states, Ondo and Ekiti.
On his part, the Managing Partner, BBH Consulting, Barr. Ameh Madaki, said the PMS scarcity challenge will remain as long as the government continues to apply subsidies.
According to him, “The pricing of PMS will remain a challenge as long as the subsidy continues to be applied inefficiently as is currently the case.
“This goes beyond specifying a price to be applied all over the country, as the regulated prices only apply in some of the major cities. In most parts of the country, motorists have been paying well over N200 per litre for years.
“A gradual and systematic deregulation of the sector which deals with the subsidy quagmire by converting it from a wasteful drainpipe to an efficient process and saves money for the government is the only way forward.
“You cannot expect marketers who have to buy diesel at huge prices to be able to truck PMS to their outlets to not pass some of that cost to the price of PMS at the pump.
“Failure to recognize this need will always keep the service outlets dry, while the black markets, which sell at an average of N300 per litre, thrives right outside the perimeter of most service stations.”
Efforts to get the reaction of the Managing Director NNPC Retails, Engr. Billy Okoye proved abortive of the Retail Unit of NNPC to speak on this development proved abortive as calls to his cell phone were neither picked nor returned as at the time of filing this report.
