The Pipeline and Products Marketing Company (PPMC), has assured of ample products supply in the Lagos area following a hitch in the products supply system in the Lagos environ.
The PPMC, a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) says it has intervened in the crisis which is arising from the leadership tussle between the Mobil branch and national office of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers Union (PTD).
In a statement yesterday by the NNPC spokesman, Ohi Alegbe, the PPMC stated that it has intervened in the dispute assuring that normalcy will soon be restored.
PPMC, in the statement also assured that there was sufficient stock of products in Lagos and across the country while advising motorists not to resort to panic buying stressing that the situation was under control.
The Corporation further reiterated its commitment to uninterrupted product supply to the general public in keeping with its mandate of ensuring products sufficiency across the country.
However, the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) insisting that the supply to Lagos is inadequate, has called on the NNPC to step up import of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) also known as petrol to avert another round of scarcity.
The call is coming as motorists in Lagos at the weekend began to queue to buy petrol, signalling emergence of scarcity of the product.
Mike Osatuyi, national controller of the association told Leadership on telephone that the fuel situation has been fragile since the NNPC is the sole importer of the product.
“There is supply gap over a period of time now, the NNPC imports 78 per cent of the petrol need of the country. I can only say you should tell them to improve on the import.
They do the SWAP deal and therefore they are not constrained by FOREX challenge, but for marketers it is difficult to source the Dollar and therefore not profitable to import under present condition”, he said.
On whether the marketers have products, Osatuyi said, “if we have we will sell. If you observe any scarcity now it means the supply has really gone down but let us watch the situation up to this weekend and then we will know how to react to it, but NNPC should take up the responsibility to beef supply”.
Meanwhile, Leadership correspondent observed that some filling stations within the metropolis are experiencing difficulty dealing with queues that have started building up.
Some of them have actually run out of stock. For instance, Mobil filling station at Maryland as at yesterday afternoon shut down the pumps and barricaded the entrance and exit point at the station.
Adjacent Mobil is Oando which was now dealing with large number of motorists struggling to buy the product.
The queue was also much visible at Total outlet by Sheraton hotel Ikeja.
At MRS, Ikeja attendants sold product in the morning but later shut down in the day.
Attendants at some of the stations visited by our reporter could not offer any credible explanation as to the reason for the shutdown.
Transport fares have remained the same but traffic along the affected axis were a little serious.
Meanwhile, thirty vessels with petroleum products, food items and other goods are expected to arrive Apapa and Tin-Can Island Ports in Lagos to boost supply across the country.
The delivery of the products is expected between this week, up to February 24.
According to the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) publication `Shipping Position’, the expected ships contained buck wheat, bulk salt, containers, steel products, gypsum, Rubber Tyred Gantry (GTR) cranes, base oil, petrol, kerosene and diesel.
The document noted that nine other ships arrived the ports, waiting to berth with petrol and containers.
Also, 16 other ships are at the ports discharging buck wheat, general cargoes, soda ash, bulk rice, buthane, containers, base oil and petrol.
No comments:
Post a Comment