The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN, says the current scarcity of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, popularly called petrol may last for two more weeks.
The Public Relations Officer of IPMAN, Chinedu Ukadike stated this on Sunday while reacting to the lingering scarcity of the product as it spreads to many states.
Ukadike told Vanguard on Sunday that the product is currently not available in the country, saying it is a challenge sourcing it because most refineries in Europe are undergoing turnaround maintenance.
“Once there is a breach in the international supply chain, it will have an impact on domestic supply because we depend on imports.
“I also have it on good authority that most of the refineries in Europe are undergoing turnaround maintenance, so sourcing petroleum products has become a bit difficult.
“NNPC Group CEO has assured us that there will be improvement in the supply chain because their vessels are arriving.
“Once that is done, normalcy will return. This is because once the 30-day supply sufficiency is disrupted, it takes two to three months to restore it”, he said.
Ukadike also blamed the acute scarcity of the product on importation bottlenecks and the pace at which the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, NMDPRA, renews marketers’ licence.
Newsmen report that transportation in many cities, including the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja and Lagos State have been grounded following the lingering fuel scarcity issue.
Some fuel stations have shut down, while others are accused of hoarding the product, causing persistent queues in stations that are dispensing.
