Petrol queues in parts of Lagos and other states continue to spread over a huge deficit in the supply of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), otherwise called petrol.
A good number of filling stations across the metropolis have gone weeks without fuel, creating substantial strain on the limited stations that still offer products.
The queues have further compounded the traffic situation, as most motorists occupy one to two lanes in search of petrol.
Some of the marketers who spoke to Daily Sun in confidence said the truck out from Dangote was grossly inadequate to meet local demand, a claim that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) had earlier corroborated.
On September 15, when the refinery commenced the release of PMS to the domestic marketers, the NNPCL said it loaded 16.8 million litres of petrol from the Dangote refinery in contrast to the 25 million litres announced by the Dangote refinery to supply NNPCL daily.
“I can confirm to you that what Dangote is producing daily is not up to 15 million litres, which is a far cry from the 40 million litres domestic requirement.”
According to the source, the NNPCL has continued to import petrol to bridge the shortfall. The queues may worsen in the coming weeks if NNPC does not ramp up the level of imports to augment the shortfall from the Dangote refinery.
As of yesterday (Wednesday), a vessel of petrol imported by NNPCL has berthed at the Atlas Cove. They are to ration products from that vessel. My company will get 2,000 metric tonnes, which is just a paltry 150 trucks. For the whole of yesterday, we did not load up to 10 trucks.”
Meanwhile, *Daily Sun* learned that the directive from the Minister of Finance/Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Olawale Edun, that Dangote sell products directly to duly registered marketers has been put on hold.
A source who was at the meeting held between Dangote and the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) on Tuesday told *Daily Sun* that the offtaker role of NNPC would continue pending when a subsisting agreement between Dangote and NNPCL is terminated by either party.
A meeting of the National Executive Council (NEC) of IPMAN, which held in Abuja yesterday, said the petrol price disagreement between NNPC and IPMAN has been resolved.
Recall that the National President of IPMAN, Mr. Abubakar Garima, had said NNPCL was asking oil marketers to buy petroleum products from its depot at N1,010 per litre in Lagos. He stated that the price tag is significantly higher than what the oil company paid to purchase products from the Dangote refinery.
“But I am happy to announce that today at the IPMAN NEC meeting, it was announced that NNPCL and IPMAN have settled for a price of N995 per litre.” (Daily Sun)
