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Fuel Scarcity Persists In Lagos, PPPRA Blames Queues On Marketers

By Godwin Ijediogor and Laolu Adeyemi (Lagos) and Collins Olayinka (Abuja)
21 November 2015   |   5:16 am
DAYS after long queues resurfaced in most parts of the country as a result of scarcity of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), otherwise known as petrol, there appears to be no respite as the scarcity bites harder in Lagos and other states.

fuel scarcityDAYS after long queues resurfaced in most parts of the country as a result of scarcity of Premium Motor Spirit
(PMS), otherwise known as petrol, there appears to be no respite as the scarcity bites harder in Lagos and other states.

Many filling stations, including the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) mega stations, have run short of the product.

At filling stations dispensing petrol, long queues spill onto the roads, causing traffic bottlenecks. The Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) has blamed the queues in some states on hoarding and sharp practices of fuel marketers.

Its Head of Corporate Services, Mr. Lanre Oladele, who stated this in a chat with The Guardian in Abuja yesterday, explained that the desire to sell petrol above the regulated price of N87 per litre by some marketers was largely responsible for the queues and scarcity.

However, the queues in Abuja have abated, as most filling stations outside of the metropolis now have the product to dispense at the official price of N87 per litre.

Oladele, who is also the spokesperson of the agency, hinted that the scheduling of the Appropriation Bill to the Second Reading in the Senate on Thursday has raised the hope of possible payment of the outstanding subsidy to marketers in a matter of days.

“It means that President Muhammadu Buhari and Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, are taking practical steps to ensure the payment is made.

“This also gives hope that the money is likely to be paid in the next few days. We assure that once the Bill is accented to by the President, the money would be released immediately to the marketers,” Oladele stated.

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