NNPC, MEMAN cite election induced restrictions
By Udeme Akpan,
Petrol queues, yesterday, emerged in Lagos and its environs as many motorists and other users make frantic efforts to buy the product.
Checks by Vanguard showed that the long queues, first noticed on Monday, have extended to many outlets.
The National President of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN, Abubakar Maiganda, said his members have not been able to lift the product for days.
But the spokesman of the NNPC Limited, Femi Soneye, said: “We are pleased to confirm that there are no supply issues and our products remain readily available.
“The recent tightness experienced in certain areas was due to a brief distribution issue in Lagos, which has since been resolved.”
On his part, the Chairman of Major Energy Marketers Association of Nigeria, MEMAN, Huub Stokman, said the nation has commercial stocks of the product for distribution, adding that distribution was constrained by elections in some part of the nation, weekend.
In an interview yesterday, he said: “There is sufficient supply of product both on-shore and off-shore waiting for discharge. What did happen over the weekend is that due to local elections in several states there were movement restrictions.
“For example all marketers couldn’t load in Apapa on Saturday and those restrictions then take a few days to correct themselves due to the complexity of the overall supply chain in Nigeria. I am sure we will see any knock effect resolved in next few days.”
However, checks by Vanguard indicated that the outlets of many major marketers were open for business while their independent counterparts were closed to motorists and other users of the product.
Also, the filling stations that opened for business did not increase their price, thus discouraging motorists from increasing transport fares in Lagos and environs.
