Oil marketers in Nigeria have expressed concerns about a potential scarcity of petrol if the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) fails to supply enough fuel to depot owners and other dealers. Long queues have been reported at filling stations in Lagos State and parts of Ogun State, leading to traffic congestion. Marketers fear that if the NNPCL does not sell sufficient petrol to distributors, the situation may escalate and spread to other parts of the country.
The queues reappeared on Monday, causing traffic gridlock in various areas of Lagos, and continued into Tuesday. Filling stations along Ikorodu Road, Ikeja, and Ogunnusi Road were affected, with some stations shutting down and not selling petrol to customers.
The NNPCL spokesperson, Olufemi Soneye, dismissed suggestions of a fresh fuel scarcity, stating that the company did not have supply issues and its products remained readily available. Soneye attributed the recent tightness in certain areas to a brief distribution issue in Lagos, which he claimed had been resolved.
However, marketers raised concerns about NNPCL’s rationing of fuel to private depot owners despite being the sole importer of refined petroleum products in Nigeria. They questioned why NNPCL continued to allocate below the amount paid by private depot owners if there was sufficient supply. Depot owners reported loading below capacity, causing insufficient fuel allocation to marketers.
The Chairman of the Oil and Gas Association in Ogun State, Surajudeen Bada, urged the NNPCL to provide accurate information and address the issue to prevent further deterioration. National Vice President of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Hammed Fashola, expressed optimism that the queues would ease off in the next two days as trucks resume loading, based on assurances from NNPCL. He acknowledged the impact on IPMAN members and hoped for a resolution to the distribution issue.
