End is in sight to the two weeks harrowing fuel scarcity that disrupted smooth flow of economic activities in Lagos, Abuja and environs as oil depots have begun load out of good fuel to filling stations.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) had last week imported good premium motor spirit (PMS) to bridge the supply gap caused by the earlier imported toxic fuel.
The Business Intelligence Africa (TBI Africa) gathered that the NNPC had last week imported good fuel that has Nigeria’s specification. The PMS was brought in by an oil tanker called MT USMA. The cargo was quickly discharged to marketers’ depots particularly the depots that were supplied the dirty fuel.
Although the depots concerned got the product loaded to their tanks on Thursday last week, but approval for immediate truck out and distribution was not given by NNPC. In order to avoid the mistake of the previous import, the national oil company insisted on series of tests, even from the oil tanks of these private depots, to ensure the petrol is of Nigeria’s specification before it gets into the market.
It was on Saturday that the NNPC gave the marketers approval to begin loading to filling stations. Therefore, the scarcity and long queues at filling stations will certainly ease out completely by end of this week. Motorists should avoid rush (panic buying) and stop paying more than the stipulated pump price.
“The NNPC brought in a vessel of PMS last week. The oil vessel called MT USMA brought in the PMS which is of Nigerian spec. From the consignment, NNPC allocated about 37 million metric tonnes to be shared by the depots that took the bad fuel as well as other depots.
“The good fuel has been in our tanks since Thursday last week but NNPC had been carrying out tests to ensure the product is of Nigerian spec before we load out. It was just on Saturday that we were given approval to start loading. I must confirm to you that the loading has been massive since that Saturday. At most by end of this week, normalcy will return to the distributions channels across the country.
“I advise consumers to exercise restraint and stop paying more for a pump price or spending the entire day at filling stations trying to buy fuel as there will be more than enough supply to go round,” one of the marketers told TBI Africa.
The Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the NNPC, Mallam Mele Kyari, had alleged that Oando, MRS, Duke Oil and Emadeb/Hyde/AY Maikifi/Brittania-U Consortium were behind the importation of the toxic petrol. Kyari emphasized that defaulting suppliers had been put on notice for remedial actions and NNPC was working with the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Regulatory Authority (NMDRA) to take necessary actions in line with subsisting regulations.
Apart from Duke Oil, the oil companies listed by Kyari as the importers of the contaminated fuel have since denied importing any bad fuel.
President Muhammadu Buhari had stated that the people found culpable in the importation of the bad fuel would be punished. However, Nigerians have not seen any action taken against the importers.
