The normalcy in fuel supply has only been a brief hiatus, fuel queues have returned across the country. The filling stations across the country just as some filling stations in Lagos and Ogun states, as well as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, have started indiscriminate hike of pump price while a few others have locked their premises.
However, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) said the queues resulted from panic buying, urging consumers to ignore the baseless rumours spurring the action. It noted that some filling stations may be acting on speculations about government’s stance on fuel subsidy to create artificial scarcity.
The Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, NNPC, Ohi Alegbe, said the corporation was working to maintain stability in the supply and distribution of petroleum products.
He assured that NNPC has enough petrol stock to service the country for 25 days at a national consumption rate of 40 million litres per day and has increased distribution to marketers and NNPC retail outlets across the country.
According to him, there is sufficient stock at the coastal depots in Port Harcourt, Warri and Calabar, apart from the national strategic reserves. These assurances does not conform with the reality on the ground, in Badagry for instance, a litre of petrol in virtually all the filling stations goes for between 100-120 naira.
There is also a rampart accusation that most fuel stations have adjusted their machines cheating the innocent customers in 2 ways-in price and litre. The Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulatory Agency has not cut any of the filling stations perpetrating these illegal deed especially in Badagry and its environs.
