Nigerians may be in for another round of fuel crisis as queues resurfaced in filling stations across Lagos Tuesday.
Findings from our reporter showed that some filling stations, especially independent marketers, did not have the product to sell to motorists and other consumers.
There was also indication that those with commercial stocks increased their prices, ranging between N200 and N250 per litre, depending on location. The long queues were also noticed along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, Ikorodu road, and Lagos Island.
Findings by showed motorists queued for hours at filling stations in different parts of the city, seeking to purchase fuel, with some spending as much as six hours or more.
Mike Osatuyi, National Operations Controller, IPMAN, said his association is following the development but there is nothing concrete yet.
Osatuyi said he noticed it the long queues to, adding that he believe the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Ltd must have also observed.
He said he expects NNPC to work on it in terms of increasing supply, while urging Nigerians to observe the situation within the next three-four days.
In addition, the Controller said his members are already buying at a higher price but will observe till Wednesday before taking any action.
On Monday, the spokesperson of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association (IPMAN), Chinedu Ukadike, blamed the lingering scarcity on the delay in the arrival of product vessels.
He said this has led to a drop in the stock sufficiency level of the NNPC Limited but added that the vessels were just arriving.
“For us, the independent marketers, we are service oriented, and we normally buy our products from NNPC, private depots, and private tank farm owners and some of them are located in Lagos, Warri and Port Harcourt knowing fully well that we import petroleum products in this country, and most of these products are vessel driven depots, and they collect products from ships.
“Recently, NNPC and the PPMC, I think there is a shortfall in the sufficiency they have in stock because some of the mother vessels they are expecting are just arriving there was a little delay and some of the logistics in handling charges in the depots, so these are the issues that have truncated the chain of supply.
“Because some of these mother vessels that were supposed to arrive Nigeria and be able to distribute and send to these private depots, there was a little delay in payments and receipts and NIMASA,” he said.
He noted that although the flood had subsided as some depots were out of stock.
