.

*NMDPRA orders security  beef-up at  filling stations

*TUC blames leadership for shortage

*Governor Akeredolu warns marketers

By Udeme Akpan, Energy Editor, Dayo Johnson, Johnbosco Agbakwuru, Ediri Ejoh & Prince Okafor

THERE were indications yesterday that the raging petrol shortage could last beyond next week as earlier promised by the Federal Government.

The government had Wednesday said it had placed orders for over a 2.1billion litres of methanol-free petrol to ensure the queues vanish in a few days.

However, in an interview with Vanguard, National Operations Controller, Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN, Mike Osatuyi, said: “The Federal Government and other stakeholders are working to end it. It might end in Lagos because of increased loading. But it might continue in other parts of the country because of bad roads and other problems.

“I think we should look towards the end of the month to resolve issues and bring in more cargoes that will enable the government to meet demand in many parts of the country.”

Similarly, the Managing Director/CEO, 11 Plc, Tunji Oyebanji, said with increased efforts it might be possible to end the shortage in Lagos but doing so in all parts of the country might take more time because of logistics and some problems.”

Also, a depot owner, who pleaded anonymity, said it might also end in Abuja because of the bad road network in Minna and other areas, which delay trucks.

Also Read:

Dirty fuel, an avoidable evil

Provide security for filling stations — NMDPRA

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, NMDPRA, wants security beefed up at petrol stations to check the activities of street urchins (area boys) and black market dealers.

Mr Ogbugo Ukoha, Executive Director, Distribution Systems, Storage and Retailing Infrastructure, NMDPRA made the appeal during a visit to some filling stations and depots of 11 Plc, NIPCO, Con Oil and AITEO in Apapa, Lagos, yesterday.

Ukoha said that the authority had received complaints from marketers, especially in Lagos and Abuja, that their station attendants were being harassed by black market operators for refusing to sell fuel in jerry cans.

He said: “We are appealing to the security agencies to intervene by ensuring that the stations are protected and are allowed to open for operations as much as they can.”

On his part, Olumide Adeosun, Chairman, Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria, MOMAN, said his members would continue to work with the regulatory agencies and other stakeholders to restore the normal supply of PMS.

Adeosun said some MOMAN members had already extended their hours of operation to 18 to 24 hours in order to reduce the fuel queues across the country.

NMDPRA embarks on monitoring

Nevertheless, NMDPRA has deployed seven ad-hoc surveillance teams to monitor filling stations in Lagos State.

NMDPRA, Zonal Operations Controller, Lagos, Ayorinde Cardoso, disclosed this when he led a surveillance team to some petroleum products retail outlets across the state.

He said: “We have sufficient fuel in Lagos now and we have quarantined the contaminated products in some of the impacted depots.

“Our focus right now is to push out clean products to all the stations. Right now in Lagos, as of Wednesday morning, we had over 128 million litres in our depots. We have five vessels that are currently discharging since February 15, and they will also bring in about 204 million litres.

“So, in total, in Lagos, we are looking at about 332 million litres within our system. As of Wednesday, we have trucked out about 37 million litres with 885 trucks.

“This morning we went out with seven ad-hoc surveillance teams to assess the impact of those 885 trucks that were sent out.

“The monitoring team is checking the availability of products in the outlets as well as the product quality to prevent infusion of any contaminated PMS which had been quarantined by the authorities.”

Also speaking, the Executive Secretary, MOMAN, Clement Isong, said: “The recent importation of off-spec petrol into the country and the subsequent directive to withdraw the affected products from the market created a huge supply gap.

“We know that the withdrawal of the four vessels disrupted the supply chain leading to panic buying by Nigerians. We (MOMAN) members have so far received two vessels from the NNPC since our last meeting on Wednesday and we believe the NNPC and other stakeholders are working tirelessly to see how this problem can be resolved.

“It was imperative for the downstream petroleum sector to be fully deregulated with the importation of PMS liberalised to ensure improved supply and stability.”

TUC blames leadership for shortage

However, the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, has blamed leadership failure for the ongoing scarcity of petrol across the country.

Briefing newsmen in Abuja, TUC President, Quadri Olaleye, said TUC was not impressed with the handling of the current scarcity of PMS by the Federal Government and expressed dismay over the reasons given by the government for the return of long queues at petrol stations.

According to him, “TUC is presently monitoring the situation including the actions and policy decisions of government, adding at the appropriate time will respond. We are watching the unfolding scenario and we will respond at the right time. They are playing games with the Nigerian people.”

Governor Akeredolu warns marketers

Also, the Governor of Ondo State, Arakunrin Rotimi Akeredolu, has warned petroleum marketers and fuel station owners to desist from hoarding products, thereby creating artificial scarcity across the state.

Governor Akeredolu, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Richard Olatunde, “asked all petrol stations in the state to dispense fuel in their tanks at the regulated pump price to ease the people of the long hours spent at fuel stations. “

Olatunde added that the governor has reiterated his administration’s readiness to deal decisively with any fuel station found hoarding products.

“Consequently, Governor Akeredolu has directed the Governor’s Task Force to move around the state for total enforcement.”

Many of the filling stations dispensing the product have increased the pump price to between N170- N200 per litre.

Findings by Vanguard showed that many of the dealers hoarded the product in a bid to sell above pump price at midnight.

Long queues characterized few of the filling stations across the state that dispensed the product while motorists were made to pay for generators after buying above pump price.

Many stations remained under lock and key since the scarcity became noticeable across the state.

Vanguard News Nigeria