Fuel scarcity: Marketers task FG on adequate supply
NAN-HE-4
Fuel
By Edeki Igafe
Warri (Delta), Jan. 17, 2018 (NAN) The Petroleum Dealers’ Association of Nigeria (PEDAN), Delta Chapter, on Wednesday urged the Federal Government to draw from its external reserves to ensure availability of petrol for consumers in the country.
Mr Francis Agetue, Secretary, PEDAN, Delta chapter, who spoke on behalf of the union, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Warri.
Agetue said that flooding the market with sufficient fuel would help to reverse the current pump prices of fuel that hover between N180 and N230 in Delta, instead of the government-approved price of N145 per litre.
He said that the prevailing acute fuel scarcity in the country had nothing to do with the nation’s idle refineries, noting that Nigeria had been importing refined petroleum products before now.
“Turnaround maintenance of the refineries is a recurring language in the petroleum sector, and we have been importing fuel.
“Government should source for money from its external reserves and flood the market with fuel; that will stabilise the price of petrol, rather than thinking of carrying out a turnaround maintenance on the refineries.
“The major marketers are not selling. The independent marketers are the ones selling and at exorbitant prices of between N180 and N230 in Delta.
“The major marketers who ought to sell petrol at N145 per litre are not getting the product, except TOTAL Oil that distributes about 10, 000 litres to each of its outlets weekly.
“From our records, no other major marketer is sure of that quantity.
“Although a lot of vessels with petroleum product are at the jetty in Jedo, Warri waiting to be offloaded, some depots are loading but most of the products are going to the Northern parts of the country,’’ he said.
Agetue, who described fuel scarcity as a virus and a serious disease, said it was unhealthy for a monolithic economy like Nigeria.
“Petrol controls the economy of Nigeria, so when the product is scarce, it affects every other thing, including transportation and prices of commodities,’’ Agetue said.
He, however, said that there was no need for increasing the pump price from the current government approved price of N145 per litre because such would further devalue the Nigerian currency.
NAN recalls that the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Warri Zonal Office, has sanctioned over 95 erring petrol stations in Delta since fuel scarcity resurfaced in December 2017.
According to the Warri Zonal Operations Controller, Mr Antai Asuquo, the petrol stations were sealed over offences bordering on hoarding, over-pricing and diversion of products.
NAN reports that the fuel situation in Warri improved marginally on Wednesday as less queues were noticeable in some stations dispensing the product.
However, the pump price still hovers between N180 and N230 per litre, except those at major marketers like the Matrix Energy Ltd and few others selling for N143 and N145 per litre.
Meanwhile, efforts by NAN to get comments on the state of the Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company (WRPC) were frustrated by a senior staff of the company.
“The refinery has a central information unit in Abuja. We cannot on our own give information about the state of the refinery except we get directives from above to do so,’’ he explained. (NAN)
EDI/DOE/PIO
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(Edited by Dianabasi Effiong/Idonije Obakhedo)