The Nigerian National Petroleum
Corporation has stopped pumping Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) to its
depots in a bid to avoid losses that arise from the incessant rupturing
of pipelines that convey products to the various facilities.
It was learnt that the corporation had
also devised new means of selling the product, as it now preferred to
sell in bulk to financially buoyant oil marketers, rather than pumping
to the depots from where independent dealers could get their petrol
supply.
Oil marketers told our correspondent
that the destruction of facilities by militants was impacting negatively
on the sector, adding that this might lead to petrol scarcity in
selected locations across the country. The executive member of the Independent
Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Mr. Dibu Aderigbigbe, said
filling stations belonging to IPMAN members were being starved of the
product as a result of the non-availability of petrol at the NNPC
depots.
He said, “We are not being supplied
products. There is no product in any NNPC depot for they are afraid of
pumping petrol because of issues of vandalism. They don’t want to waste
the product, because they know they have gone commercial and are aware
that they can’t report any loss to the government.”
He denied claims that IPMAN members
could not pay outstanding funds that were needed before the PMS could be
supplied by the corporation.
Aderigbigbe said, “Some of our people
have paid the difference, but there are no products in the depots. For
instance, the Ibadan and Mosimi depots are empty, despite the fact that
marketers have paid the difference for products in those depots.
“The excuse they (NNPC) give is that
they don’t have products. But we know that they store their products in
marine tanks and now sell to people who are ready to buy in bulk.”
A major oil marketer told our
correspondent that the non-supply of petrol to independent dealers by
the NNPC might lead to the scarcity of the product in selected
locations.
“Many independent marketers are being
denied product by the NNPC and this is not healthy in that it may cause
fuel scarcity in selected locations. We know that the corporation has
stopped pumping to some depots and the reason for this is
understandable, but their refusal to supply to other marketers is not in
the interest of consumers,” the major marketer told our correspondent
on condition of anonymity.
When contacted, the NNPC did not deny or confirm the claims by the marketers.
The corporation’s Group General Manager,
Group Public Affairs Division, Mr. Garba-Deen Mohammed, neither
confirmed nor denied that the NNPC had stopped pumping petrol to the
depots.
In a brief text message after several
attempts by our correspondent to get the oil firm’s position on the
matter, he said, “I am in a meeting.”
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