Dr Omar Ibrahim, Acting General Manager Public Affairs Division, NNPC has however assured Nigerians that normalcy would return in petroleum distribution by Thursday.
Reason for the Scarcity: Major Pipeline Vandalization
Dr Ibrahim said that two points of the corporation’s major pipelines were vandalized – one at Akute in Lagos, and another in Ogere, Ogun state, both in the South-west region of Nigeria.
He noted that the current situation was one of distribution, not shortage of supply, and explained that the corporation has been working since Tuesday to restore functionality to the two points.
“It was a problem of distribution and not shortage of supply, and it was due to the vandalization of the two main lines of Mosimi and Atlas Cove.
“Our team has started working since Tuesday (Feb. 18) and as at 2.30 pm today (Wednesday), we have started re-streaming Mosimi line and by 4.18 p.m., we were able to pump to Atlas Cove.
“With the two lines in operation, normalcy will return immediately because we are also monitoring the pipeline,” he stated.
However, This Day Live newspaper reports that Lagos’ fuel situation may have been worsened by an oil spill across the Lagos metropolis in the Ijegun area of the state. The spill is reported to have flooded over 300 houses in the area, which forced the PPMC to lock the fuel valve to forestall further spill. The valve lock has resulted in a fuel shortfall, which has translated to a scarcity wave in Lagos, which has led people to panic buying.
An anonymous government official, reporting to This Day, said: “When the community alerted NNPC of the spill. They were forced to shut down production in order to carry out repairs. They stopped pumping products.
“The products that are in the market were those already in the pipeline. Once the valves were shut off, repairs began in order to restore the pipeline back to order.
“When the marketers discovered what has happened, they started hoarding products because they are not sure when or where they would get products to buy.
“That hoarding of products is what is manifesting today as fuel scarcity. But that would soon end because once NNPC starts pumping again, we can assure you that products would be back to the market.”
The New Fuel Price
Even though the FG has regulated fuel price at N97 per litre, PM news reports that the price of fuel in many parts of Lagos and Ogun state has been hiked to N100 per litre. P.M. news reports, however, that NNPC and Total stations were still dispensing petrol at the normal price.
“Do not Panic-Buy Fuel, Nigerians” - PPMC
The Pipeline and Products Marketing Company (PPMC), an NNPC subsidiary has said that there is enough fuel in stock, and Nigerians do not need to hoard fuel or engage in panic buying.
Nasir Imodagbe, spokesperson for the PPMC, said “we have robust supply of fuel, same with NNPC to serve the country for days; I don’t know where the issue of scarcity is coming from. We are appealing to Nigerians not to engage in panic buying, because there are enough products to keep the country moving. We advise the marketers not to hoard fuel as anyone caught would be sanctioned,” he said.
And the Black Market comes to the rescue
Commercial bus drivers have found solace in the black market, which gives with one hand and collects with the other. Commercial bus drivers say they are now forced to buy fuel at exorbitant prices and the spillover effect is that passengers now have to pay higher prices to arrive their destination. The resultant fuel hike and long queues at petrol stations has resulted in higher frustration levels in the state.
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