Petroleum marketers, under the umbrella of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), are slated to convene on Monday to address the fuel scarcity afflicting the nation.
Hammed Fashola, the National President of IPMAN, stated the gathering is in light of the persistent fuel shortages, despite efforts by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) to alleviate the crisis.
Fashola disclosed that on Friday, May 3, 2024, the NNPCL opened all of its reserves in all depots across the country to sort out the longstanding queues at petrol stations. Additionally, the Major Energies Marketers Association of Nigeria (MEMAN) confirmed the receipt of 300 million litres of petrol from eight vessels during the week, reportedly distributed to its members in Apapa and other locations in Lagos.
Recall that Ayo Cardoso, the South-West Regional Coordinator of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, stated that besides the 240 million litres offloaded on Monday, approximately 85 million litres of petrol were offloaded on Tuesday evening.
The National President of IPMAN, Hammed Fashola said, “We are meeting on Monday officially with other marketers. We are working closely with NNPC. The Monday meeting is for our National Executive Council. After the meeting, we will reach out to the NNPC. We talk with them every day.
He said the subject of the meeting was to assess the present situation and evaluate what has been done so far to tackle the issue of fuel crisis.
“The meetings we have been having with the NNPC are in collaboration, which we have been doing. If you notice, yesterday (Friday), NNPC opened up their reserves in all the depots throughout the federation. And we are working with them to ensure that everywhere is wet so that this thing (fuel scarcity) can disappear.
“I want to commend NNPC for their proactive measures. We are equally giving them the necessary support we are supposed to give them as oil marketers. I want to use this opportunity to appeal to members of the public to stop panic buying. They should buy what they need. Once they buy what they need, you will see that the long queues will disappear. So we are trying to discourage that (hoarding).”
Still on the same issue, the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria convened on Saturday with fellow independent marketers, aiming to devise strategies to clear the persistent queues at filling stations.
PETROAN National president, Dr Billy Gilly-Harry said, “The meeting cut across all the associations. NNPCL has already called us and discussed it with us. We have had meetings with them. So last night’s meeting had nothing to do with NNPCL. It is about how to apply the solutions they have provided. And that is why you heard me talk very confidently that the solution (To the fuel scarcity) is in the corner.
“The good news is that this is a new reality. And it is going to bring better solutions because when you have NNPCL doing what they have to do, and we also doing what we have to do, the result will be fantastic. If you go to Abuja today, you will see that the queues have eased off. In the South-South and South-East, those who have been selling products as high as N670, we are bringing them to the book,” he added.
