Marketers Confirm Improvement in Petrol Supply by NNPC

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has assured Nigerians that they would soon begin to purchase premium motor spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol, with ease from filling stations across the country.

In the past few days, consumers have had to queue to buy the product because of scarcity, which the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) has blamed on logistics.

But the National Secretary of IPMAN, Mr James Tor, has assured that the queues will begin to vanish from filling stations because the NNPC has intervened in the logistic issues that had breached the supply of the product.

“The fuel stations round show that the situation is calm. All stations have products and are selling,” he said on Tuesday, warning Nigerians against panic buying.

“If there is no product, we cannot give out anything. But happily, there are products, and the federal government is doing much. Our national president explained to us that the NNPCL has opened up some of their depots so that we can have products supplied and distributed to the public.

“He even called me this morning (April 30, 2024) about the increase in the supply. So, what we are witnessing is just a bridge between what is going on and what is going on.

“But happily enough, I want to announce to the public that there shouldn’t be any panic buying, because when this thing happens, and people start rushing here and there and trying to accumulate the products, that effect will go a long way to affect everybody,” Mr Tor said.

He explained that Nigeria exists in a global system that is influenced by the crisis in the Middle East between the Israelis and Iran.

“All these things if we put them together (impacts the Nigerian market),” Tor said, adding “any slightest thing that happens in the world, will affect the supply and distribution of petroleum products,” he added, expressing confidence in the role of the NNPCL in playing in ensuring energy security for Nigerians.

“Good enough, an NNPC is ready and has opened up some of the depots so that they will start bringing in our product for distribution. I want to assure you that at any moment from now, you will see that the queues will be going down because they have intensified the supply.

“With what the NNPC is doing, very in a few days, you will start seeing the impact of what they are doing because IPMAN is involved,” Mr Tor said.