Depot owners, NNPC differ over debt, as fuel scarcity lingers
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association (DAPPMA) have disagreed over the actual debt profiles among the two organisations.
While the NNPC on Wednesday alleged that DAPPMA members are owing it over N26.7 billion as at December 21, 2017, and that despite that it continued supplying them with products, DAPPMA said its members have paid for petrol supplied (with bank funds) for over one month, the value of which is in excess of N90 billion. It said despite PPMC/NNPC had no cargo to allocate to them.
“As such how can we be held responsible for hoarding?”, the association asked according to its executive secretary, Olufemi Adewole. It added that PPMC/NNPC does not transact business with DAPPMA members on credit hence the association was not aware of any indebtedness to PPMC/NNPC by its members.
“We again reject any attempt to blame marketers for the shortfall in supply as it is not our making since NNPC has been the sole importer since October 2017. Marketers have continued to sacrifice to keep the country wet with fuel despite over N600 billion debt owed our members and over N800 billion owed marketers as a whole by the Federal Government.
“NNPC’s view of our press release stating our side of the story and seeking to defend marketers for the very first time, against the unwarranted accusations of hoarding and profiteering is rather unfortunate”.
Meanwhile, petrol scarcity continues as many filling stations remained locked in many cities across the country.
In Kano reports said filling station are selling at between N230 and N250 per litre while very few stations are dispensing at the government price of N145.
In Abuja, queues remained but the number of stations dispensing fuel increased in many part of the city as witnessed by our reporter.
In cities like Jos, Kaduna, Lafia, Birnin Kebbi, Port Harcourt, Enugu, Lagos, Ibadan, Gusau and Sokoto the scarcity made transport for workers and other commuters difficult with transport fares skyrocketing on daily basis.
...DPR vows to ease scarcity in few days
The Director of Department of Petroleum Resources, Mr Mordecai Ladan, yesterday assured Nigerians that the lingering scarcity of petrol will soon come to an end.
He gave the assurance after inspecting some private depots in Apapa axis in Lagos.
Ladan said, “I can confirm to you that products are coming in gradually in most of the depots visited, some are being discharged while there is assurance that more product will soon come again within the next 48 hours.
Ladan appealed to depots to focus more supply on independent marketers’ filling stations because they were most affected by the scarcity of petrol.
According to him, with supply being addressed the next line of action is to ensure that marketers didn’t exploit motorists by selling above the approved product pump price of N145 per litre.
The DPR inspection team visited Folawiyo Energy Limited and NIPCO tank Farm in Apapa.
At Folawiyo, Mr Dipo Makanjola said the depot had about 6 million litres of petrol and had been operating 24 hours to ensure that Nigerians get the product.
He said the product belonged to the NNPC and they were loading according to the directive of the corporation.
According to him, the last time we received the product from NNPC was on December 23 and that is what we are loading, we hope to get another supply by Saturday.
At NIPCO, Mr Taofeek Lawal, the company head, Corporate Communications, said the company has a total stock of 17,000 MT, approximately 23 million litres from supply by NNPC via Apapa jetty as at Wednesday.
Lawal said with 23 million litres of petrol, the company would load over 600 petroleum tankers in three days, adding that NNPC had assured the company that another vessel will arrive on Saturday.