Fuel Scarcity Hits Major Nigerian Cities

-Scarcity Caused By Easter, Sallah Festivities –IPMAN

Many cities in Nigeria have again been hit by scarcity of fuel.

Reports across many states revealed that private filling stations and some owned by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd were not dispensing the products and so shut their stations.

Investigations by New Telegraph yesterday also revealed that many of the few stations selling the product sold above N600 per litre.

The Chief Corporate Communications Officer, NNPC Ltd, Olufemi Soneye, had yet to respond to inquiries on the cause of the scarcity as at the time of filing the story.

But the President, Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Abubakar Maigandi, in a telephone interview with New Telegraph, also confirmed the scarcity in many cities across Nigeria.

He identified Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and Kano as some of the areas affected by the scarcity. He blamed the scarcity on Good Friday, Easter and Eid-elFitr festivities. Maigandi said: “These festivities of Good Friday, Easter then coming back to Sallah really had an impact (on the scarcity).

We also observed that and we have already reported the issue to the NNPC Ltd that they should increase the volume. “There is scarcity in most of the Nigerian cities such as Lagos, Abuja, Kano and Port Harcourt.

“The way independent petroleum marketers are selling is because they are not having the order direct. They normally rely on private depot owners and purchase the product at a higher rate. That is the reason you are seeing the rate they are selling. But by God’s grace, as far as independent marketers are concerned, we are doing all we can to see that we reduce the cost of the price. “