Reports indicate that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has commenced the offloading of 240 million litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol, to address the escalating fuel scarcity. However, several filling stations supplied with PMS by NNPCL have hiked the petrol price to N800 per litre.
Confirming the arrival of the imported 240 million litres, Ayo Cardoso, the South-West Regional Coordinator of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, stated that the fuel arrived via five vessels and was offloaded on Monday, April 29, 2024.
Despite NNPC’s assertion of resolving logistical challenges contributing to the fuel scarcity, many Nigerians across the nation continue to struggle to access petrol, with numerous filling stations remaining closed. It has been noted that NNPCL prioritised fuel distribution to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) over other regions, exacerbating the situation.
Additionally, petrol prices at some filling stations range from N650 to over N1,000 per litre, while black marketers sell petrol at over N1,200 per litre, further worsening the situation.
“We are doing something about the fuel crisis; very soon it will be over. Vessels are discharging as I am talking to you. What we are concentrating on is to push the NNPC, which is the supplier of last resort, to make sure they wet the entire populace.
“So, we have about five vessels already discharging the product, about 240 million litres are being discharged as I am talking to you right now. We are working round the clock.
“But then, once you have a problem, it takes like one or two weeks to (normalise), but people will keep on panicking, which is not supposed to be. All these kinds of things disrupt the normal way of operations. But with 240 million litres coming in from five vessels discharging to five depots already today, things will get back to normal,” Cardoso said.
