Despite claims that 146 petroleum tankers have arrived at Suleja Depot following the recession of the Lokoja flood, petrol scarcity still bites harder in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and environs.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) had on October 12 announced the arrival of product trucks into Abuja and other destinations even as it warned against panic buying.
For over four weeks, the FCT and its environs have been faced with lingering petrol scarcity, a development authorities blamed on the massive flooding in Lokoja, Kogi State.
But despite the flood recession that has since allowed vehicular movements, fuel scarcity lingers.
Reacting to the development, the Spokesperson of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association (IPMAN) Mr Chinedu Ukadike on Monday blamed this on the delay in the arrival of product vessels.
He said this has led to a drop in the stock sufficiency level of the NNPC Limited but he added that the vessels were just arriving.
“For us the independent marketers, we are service oriented and we normally buy our products from NNPC, private depots, and private tank farm owners and some of them are located in Lagos, Warri and Port Harcourt knowing fully well that we import petroleum products in this country and most of these products are vessel driven depots and they collect products from ships.
“Recently, NNPC and the PPMC, I think there is a shortfall in the sufficiency they have in stock because some of the mother vessels they are expecting are just arriving there was a little delay and some of the logistics in handling charges in the depots so these are the issues that have truncated the chain of supply.
“Because some of these mother vessels that were supposed to arrive Nigeria and be able to distribute and send to these private depots, there was a little delay in payments and receipts and NIMASA,” he said.
He noted that although the flood has subsided as some depots were out of stock.
“So even if the Lokoja flood has subsided, you will also find out that some of the trucks are in the depots waiting to be loaded and once they are loaded, they will start heading to the North,” he added.
