Fuel scarcity: Eliminating unwarranted pressure
Scarcity of petroleum products in Nigeria is not alien. Citizens might have come to know it as an occasion that comes in its undefined season. Signals of another looming scarcity of petroleum products in the Country, may have begun again to record its ticking warbling resonance. Scarcity of these products, particularly, the widely consumed premium motor spirit, PMS, popularly called petrol, usually comes with unsavoury experiences whenever their occasions take place. The use of petrol as the prevailing fuel for road transportation has always seen adverse effects spraying defective impacts on businesses whenever its scarcity blows up. As the dominant fuel for vehicles for commuting for daily business activities, scarcity of petrol have always recorded sour strains for commuters with struggles to get the commodity from a few filling stations which by chance would open up for sale during such occasions.
Experiences of such times do see a handful of outlets opening for sale, putting forth various forms of defective conditions to put the product for sale. At the last count of the scarcity, checks in major metropoleis across the Country, saw attendants at filling stations charging unofficial payments for each sale based on their discretion – a flagrant display that would no way be unawares to the management of such filling stations. Desperate consumers were seen jostling for same and wouldn’t mind, just to have the product for them to get on their way to make ends meet.
Commercial transporters in their struggles would have to beat all circumstances to get the products for their businesses, even if demands breaking order, and circumventing procedures. Doing the wrong and doing same aggressively, would not however be isolated to them alone, as even private owners of cars and other categories of consumers would seek to disregard procedures. Curtailing such confusing disposition would not be very feasible for the management of petrol stations, since they themselves have been cut in the flagrant demeanour of illegal charges. Hence, the circumstances would be such reducing larger percentage of stakeholders from all ends to uncivil posture. The resultant effects would be a reflection of a society disorganised in conducts and settings.
Again, reports gathered have begun to take note of appearances of queues giving signals of possible scarcity which may again put forth the disarray of discordant reflections. As more filling stations are believed to have run out of stock, reports of queues at petrol stations across Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, (FCT), getting longer and clumsy, have begun to take its toll. As it would be known with the experience, uncoordinated scenes of choas were witnessed at a few filling stations dispensing in the Central Area of the city. Queues stretching over two kilometres with motorists spending hours without any assurance of getting the products were gathered.
One would not have to think too far of the disordered scenery where security agencies would have it tough to manage the chaotic display of mob-like conducts. Except for the use of force, getting the mass of desperate consumers seeking to get the product for use from just a few scarce outlets would largely be one of a herculean task.
As worries rose over the signals, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Limited had attributed the resurgence of queues to disruption in loading due to public holidays last week.
A statement by the Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Mr. Garba Deen Muhammad, mentioned the Corporation was ramping up loading to eliminate the queues. “The NNPC Ltd notes the sudden appearance of fuel queues in parts of Abuja. This is very likely due to low loadouts at depots which usually happen during long public holidays, in this case, the Sallah celebrations. Another contributing factor to the sudden appearances of queues is the increased fuel purchases which is also usual with returning residents of the FCT from the public holidays. NNPC and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority in conjunction with our marketing partners have taken necessary measures to ramp up load outs from all depots. We assure all residents of the FCT, and indeed all Nigerians, that we have ample local supplies and national stock in excess of 2.5 billion litres, with sufficiency of more than 43 days. The NNPC Ltd hereby advises motorists not to engage in panic buying as supplies are adequate as will become increasingly evident in the coming days,” the statement read.
Scarcity of petroleum products, particularly for PMS which is predominant for transportation use, and diesel, which beyond transportation, is predominant for industrial purposes, have always come with sensations of discordance and disorder across metropoleis in the Country. The adverse effects have been known to bear far reaching impacts negatively, not only on economic activities, but also the social climate, just as other fabrics of the society would not be expunged from the debilitating effects. It is pertinent for the regulators to work harmoniously with all operators to, not only create responsive architecture of proactivity to foreclose and/or reduce to the bearest minimum, the chances of deformities informing such deficiency, but also act decisively to eliminate sensational glitches which may clog-up to raise unwarranted pressure.
