Hard times await motorists and other users of
fuel as there are indications that the scarcity will last beyond the New Year.
Investigation on Thursday showed that loading of
petrol at private depots and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation’s
depots in Lagos, Oyo, Ondo, Ogun and Kwara states had virtually come to a halt.
The scarcity of petrol had started with the
Yuletide, but assurances by the authorities had raised hopes of a quick
solution. However, marketers say the scarcity will worsen.
The National Assembly, about two weeks ago,
approved N161bn as supplementary budget to sustain the fuel subsidy regime, in
an attempt to avert the scarcity of petroleum products during the Christmas and
New Year celebrations.
However, fuel scarcity, which has been a
recurring decimal in the country’s downstream petroleum industry, has
resurfaced.
Spokesman for the Pipeline and Products Marketing
Company Limited, Mr. Nasir Imodagbe, said that the scarcity in Lagos was caused
by the fire incident at Ije-ododo, Ojo Local Government Area of the state.
The explosion, which occurred last Monday, was
said to have been caused by activities of fuel vandals.
He said though repair work had started on the
pipeline, it would not be completed till next week.
He said, “We have started the repair of the
pipeline. It is likely going to be completed next week. As soon as it is
completed, we will release products through the pipelines.
“We have pipelines all over the country. We
should not be having problems with distribution of products. It is important
that Nigerians treat the petroleum pipeline as critical national
infrastructure. Those that vandalise these pipelines live among us.”
Imodagbe said since the pipeline was vandalised,
PPMC had been bridging products to the FCT with trucks.
He said, “Abuja is adequately supplied with
products but there was no loading on Christmas Day. This is the reason for the
hiccups you have been seeing, coupled with the fact people bought products
massively before the Christmas Day.
“Now, people are returning and some are still
travelling. That is why there are pressures. We expect that in the next one or
two days, the situation will return to normal.”
However, marketers, who spoke to one of our
correspondents on the telephone on Thursday, said government was being
economical with the truth. He added that loading at private depots in Apapa,
Lagos and other NNPC depots in the state as well as Oyo, Ondo, Ogun and Kwara
states was almost impossible due to the unavailability of petrol.
The Chairman, Nigeria Union of Petroleum and
Natural Gas Workers, South-West branch, Alhaji Tokunbo Korodo, who spoke to one
of our correspondents on the telephone on Thursday evening, said loading at
Apapa Depot as well as the Ejigbo, Mosimi, Ilorin and Ore had almost been
paralysed.
He said, “I can’t lie to you, much is not
happening at Apapa Depot and other depots.
“The problem is just that there is no product to
go round. Nigerians should, therefore, endure the situation.”
A former Chairman, Depot and Petroleum Products
Marketers Association, Chief Sylvester Okoli, said petrol was being sold for
N120 in Anambra State, though the scarcity was not very pronounced.
The scarcity became evident in Lagos last Friday
but worsened on Sunday as many of the filling stations ran out of stock. Those
with the product had long queues of desperate motorists.
As a result of the scarcity, most filling
stations in Lagos and Ogun states started selling above the regulated price of
N97 per litre.
This was aside from others that had fraudulently
adjusted their pumps.
Abuja was not better, as the few filling stations
with petrol had very long queues of motorists.
A top official of one of the oil marketing
companies in Apapa said that almost all the depots in the area had not received
product since last week Thursday.
“In fact, since Saturday, we have not done much,”
the source said.
Meanwhile, the Group Managing Director of the
NNPC, Mr. Andrew Yakubu, had last week raised the alarm that the activities of
pipeline vandals, if left on unchecked, could cripple the smooth operation of
the downstream sector of the industry.
He said in less than five months, the pipelines
of the NNPC had been broken in 774 places.
According to him, less than one week after the
vital system 2B was restored through extensive repair work on the ruptured
Arepo point, the corporation was compelled to shut the line owing to the attack
on the Ije-Ododo point.
He lamented the unending wave of pipeline hacking
and product theft which had been posing a great danger to the efficient
distribution and supply of petroleum products in some parts of the country.
The NNPC helmsman had said, “We had over
774 break points since August 2012 from Atlas Cove to Ilorin depot. Between
Atlas Cove and Mosimi depot, we recorded 181 break points, from Mosimi to
Ibadan, we had 421 raptured points and from Mosimi to Ore, we recorded 50
vandalized points. Also between Ibadan and Ilorin we had a total of 122 break
points.
Records indicate that with the incessant attacks
on the nation’s vast artery of pipelines about 70 per cent products
distribution is through trucking or what is known in the industry parlance as
bridging into the hinterlands.
This requires massive fleets of petroleum product
trucks of up to 1,212 trucks load out from the depots every day to meet the
daily estimated national consumption.
At an average vehicle turnaround of about 8-10 days
from the South to the North and re-turn, a minimum of 10,000 trucks are
required to ply the roads daily.
No comments:
Post a Comment