The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd affirmed on Tuesday that the ongoing fuel scarcity and queues across the country will be cleared out by Wednesday, April 31.
The Chief Communications Officer, NNPCL, Olufemi Soneye, confirmed this to newsmen on Tuesday in Lagos.
According to Soneye, the company currently has products available exceeding 1.5 billion litres, which can last for at least 30 days.
He said, “Unfortunately, we experienced a three-day disruption in distribution due to logistical issues, which has since been resolved.
“However, as you know, overcoming such disruptions typically requires double the amount of time to return to normal operations.
“Some folks are taking advantage of this situation to maximize profits.
“Thankfully, product scarcity has been minimal lately, but these folks might be exploiting the situation for unwarranted gain.
“The lines will be cleared out between today and tomorrow.”
Similarly, the National Vice President of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (lPMAN), Hammed Fashola, expressed hope that the queues in Lagos and Ogun would ease off this week, relying on the words of the NNPCL.
Fashola, however, stated that the queues in Abuja might tarry a bit due to the distance to Lagos.
He said, “The information available to us from the NNPCL was that there was a logistics problem, and when that happens, it will disrupt the supply chain.
“That might be a delay in the movement of ships from the mother vessel to the daughter vessel before it gets to the depot tanks.
“Before we can correct that, surely it will take some days. I think by Tuesday or Wednesday, there will be more products available for lifting by marketers.
“It might take time before it can ease off in Abuja, considering the distance to Lagos and the bad roads; Lagos might be calm this new week.”
