Lagos, April 30, 2024 – The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has promised that the current petrol scarcity and queues will be cleared by Wednesday, May 1.
Mr Olufemi Soneye, Chief Communications Officer of (NNPCL), made the promise while speaking to journalists in Lagos on Tuesday.
He said NNPCL had more than 1.5 billion litres of petrol which could last for at least 30 days.
“Unfortunately, we experienced a three-day disruption in distribution due to logistical issues which has since been resolved.
“However, as you know, overcoming such disruptions typically requires double the amount of time to return to normal operations.
“Some folks are taking advantage of this situation to maximize profits.
“Thankfully, product scarcity has been minimal lately, but these folks might be exploiting the situation for unwarranted gain
“The lines will be cleared out between today and tomorrow,” Soneye assured.
Mr Hammed Fashola, the National Vice President of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (lPMAN), also expressed optimism that the queues in Lagos and Ogun would easethis week, relying on the words of the NNPCL.
Fashola, however, stated that the queues in Abuja might last longer due to the distance to Lagos.
“The information available to us from the NNPCL was that there was a logistics problem, and when that happens, it will disrupt the supply chain.
“That might be a delay in the movement of ships from the mother vessel to the daughter vessel before it gets to the depot tanks.
“Before we can correct that, surely it will take some days. I think by Tuesday or Wednesday, there will be more products available for lifti¹ng by marketers.
“It might take time before it can ease off in Abuja, considering the distance to Lagos and the bad roads; Lagos might be calm this new week,” Fashola said.
