Nationwide fuel scarcity threatens as the closure of NNPCL’s supply portal leads to significant delays in petrol distribution. Consumers brace for potential disruptions amid concerns of limited fuel availability.
Petroleum marketers have expressed concern over the shutdown of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) portal, which dealers use to purchase Premium Motor Spirit (Petrol), rendering it impossible for them to apply for the fuel.
Chinedu Ukadike, the spokesperson for the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, revealed this in a statement on Wednesday.
He stated that marketers have over 2,000 pending requests to purchase 45,000 liters of petrol.
He suggested that the situation could result in another occurrence of fuel shortages across the country.
I can’t provide the price right now because the portal is still closed.
“We have over 2,000 tickets for a total of 45,000 liters each. That means multiplying 45,000 by 2,000 to determine the number of million liters it amounts to. Please note this is just an estimate; I don’t work with NNPCL and am not privy to their exact figures,” Ukadike remarked.
He mentioned that a truck carrying 45,000 liters of PMS costs approximately N39.5 million, which totals N79 billion when multiplied by 2,000 trucks.
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In response to the development, Olufemi Soneye, the spokesperson for NNPCL, acknowledged that the state-owned company has a considerable backlog to manage.
He stated that the portal was closed to avoid retaining marketers’ funds for too long.
Soneye guaranteed that the portal would be reopened soon, yet he did not specify when that would occur.
“We have a considerable backlog that needs attention. The closure is meant to prevent prolonged holding of marketers’ funds,” Soneye explained.
“It will be reopened once the backlog is significantly reduced. We are actively working to resolve it as quickly as possible,” he said.
This development occurs while Nigerians face challenges due to high energy costs.
Remember that in September 2024, NNPCL announced a new nationwide price increase for petrol following its acquisition from the Dangote Refinery.
In Nigeria, petrol prices currently range from N950 to N1,100 per liter across the country.
