The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has warned of an imminent fuel scarcity. Vice President of the association, Abubakar Dankigari who disclosed this to The Nation, said the scarcity will be as a result of NNPC not loading petrol at its depots.
According to Dankigari, NNPC previously dispensed fuel at their depot at N133 per liter but it had stopped for sometime now.
This has forced most marketers to go to private depots to load fuel. However the private depots, particularly those in Cross Rivers state, are beginning to take advantage of the situation as they have started loading petrol for oil marketers at N138 or N140 per liter.
According to him, the increase in the price of loading has forced some of the marketers to park their petrol tanks because they cannot afford the new loading rate offered by the private depot owners.
“If care is not taken there will be fuel (petrol) scarcity because private depots have started increasing their rates; they are selling the product at a higher rate now in Calabar. Secondly, the cost of diesel is increasing. It is between N250 to N270 per litre. You can see that the cost of diesel is high but it is equally available because it has been deregulated. In addition, PEF that is supposed to be paying the transport fare is not paying. So, the marketers have decided to keep their trucks. The money PEF is owing marketers is now over N200billion. If this trend continues, there will be scarcity and the products will be very difficult to get. There is no kerosene at all. The major problem is that in Calabar, marketers are buying this product at N138 to N140 from the private depots. You know that what the NNPC said we should collect it at N133but they are not loading.”
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