Petroleum marketers in Nigeria are raising alarms over a potential fuel scarcity due to the closure of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) purchase portal, which has halted petrol applications for dealers.
This situation could disrupt the supply of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol, across the nation. Chinedu Ukadike, spokesperson for the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), highlighted the severity of the situation in a statement on Wednesday, noting that there are currently over 2,000 pending tickets for the purchase of 45,000 liters of petrol each.
“We have more than 2,000 tickets for 45,000 liters of petrol. That is 45,000 multiplied by 2,000, you can now know the number of million liters it will be,” he explained.
This backlog represents millions of liters and an estimated outstanding cost of around ₦79 billion, as a truckload costs approximately ₦39.5 million.
Ukadike warned that the portal’s closure is creating significant supply bottlenecks, leading to concerns over fuel shortages....Read Full Article [Click Here>]
“I can’t confirm the price now because the portal is still shut down,” he added, reflecting the growing supply gap.
In response, NNPCL spokesperson Olufemi Soneye acknowledged the backlog but stated the closure was a necessary step to prevent the company from holding onto marketers’ funds for extended periods.
“We have a significant backlog to address,” he noted, assuring that the portal would reopen once the issue is managed, although no specific timeline was provided. “It will be reopened once the backlog has been sufficiently reduced.”
