‘NNPCL Supply Shortage’ – Marketers Explain Resurgence of Fuel Queues in Nigeria

Billy Gillis-Harry, President of the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association (PETROAN), has attributed the scarcity of Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) in Abuja, Nasarawa, and other states to the non-supply by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).

In an exclusive interview with NIGERIA NEWS 247 on Saturday, Gillis-Harry discussed the resurgence of fuel queues in Nigeria, noting that the situation has become dire in the nation’s capital and neighboring regions as motorists scramble for petrol.

Reports indicate that massive queues were seen at the NNPCL retail filling station along Kubwa Expressway and at Ranoil in Gwarimpa on Friday. Additionally, many filling stations along the Kubwa Expressway, Lugbe, and Airport Road axis were out of fuel on Saturday morning.

Gillis-Harry expressed frustration after visiting numerous filling stations, finding no petrol available. He emphasized that fuel marketers are unable to set prices because they do not import the product; instead, they sell based on the price at which they purchase it. He pointed out that the primary reason for the fuel scarcity is that PETROAN members and other marketers do not have access to the product.

“Yesterday (Friday), I went to over fifteen filling stations in Abuja, including NNPCL retail outlets, but there is no product. If they say they increase prices, it is their own thing. You sell according to how much you buy the product,” he explained. “We don’t have the product, that is the reason for the scarcity. We cannot fix a price because we don’t import the product; it is NNPCL that is the sole importer.”

When asked if the planned commencement of fuel supply by the Dangote refinery in mid-July 2024 could be blamed for the scarcity, he responded, “Dangote refinery has not brought in any fuel, even Automotive Gas Oil (diesel), we are struggling to have it. What we are saying is that Dangote is facing the herculean challenge of meeting the deadline. We are proud of having a refinery of 650,000 barrels per day in Nigeria.

“Meanwhile, NNPCL cannot say because the Dangote refinery fuel supply is coming on board, they will stop its import. Nigerians depend on PMS daily. Dangote has not produced a liter of PMS.

“The issue is that there is a supply challenge with NNPCL. NNPCL has just a few filling stations. PETROAN and other stakeholders have several across the country. It is critical to ensure that all major stakeholders are aware of the things happening in the sector to avoid situations like this.

“We should ask NNPCL to up their game to halt the supply challenge,” he told NIGERIA NEWS 247.

Attempts to reach NNPCL spokesperson Olufemi Soneye were unsuccessful, as he did not answer calls or respond to text messages. The National President of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Abubakar Maigandi, advised NIGERIA NEWS 247 to call him by noon on Saturday regarding the matter.

This development comes as the National Bureau of Statistics reported in its latest Petrol Price Watch that the average price of petrol per liter rose to N769.62 in May 2024. It is worth recalling that in June of last year, the removal of the fuel subsidy was announced, leading pump prices to increase from around N238.11 to approximately N700 per liter.