Since the early 1990s, fuel scarcity has been a recurring issue in Nigeria, causing untold hardship to citizens and crippling the economy. Despite numerous promises by successive governments to address the problem, the situation remains unchanged. The fuel scarcity, has brought the country to its knees, with long queues at filling stations and exorbitant prices for the product.
Human rights groups have spoken out against the fuel scarcity, urging the government to take immediate action to address the situation. “This fuel scarcity is not just an economic issue, but also a human rights issue,” said a spokesperson for Amnesty International. “The government must prioritize the welfare of its citizens and take concrete steps to address this perennial problem.”
The Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation has blamed the lingering fuel scarcity in the country on panic buying and sharp practices by some petroleum marketers who are exploiting the present situation to make more money.
The company also vowed that the fuel queues across the country would end next week, noting that it had enough litres of fuel to end the scarcity.
Petroleum marketers, however, disagreed with the position of the NNPC, insisting that inadequate supply was a major reason for the persisting fuel scarcity.
Recall that on Tuesday, the NNPC spokesperson, Femi Soneye, assured that the ongoing shortage in supply of petroleum products and queues for the products would be cleared by May 1.
According to him, the company had more than 1.5 billion litres of petroleum products available, enough to last for at least 30 days. He added that some individuals might be exploiting the situation to maximise profit.
The Major Energies Marketers Association of Nigeria had in a statement said its members in Apapa and other locations in Lagos had received 300 million litres of fuel from eight vessels this week.
This was after the South-West Regional Coordinator of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Ayo Cardoso, also confirmed , that aside from the 240 million litres offloaded at various depots on Monday, close to 85 million litres of petrol was offloaded as of Tuesday evening.
Cardoso stated that the government was doing its best to ensure massive distribution of PMS, adding that the product would soon be available across the country.
According to him, each state of the federation had its allocations, saying the same will be delivered to reduce the queues at filling stations.
“As I said earlier, there will be enough fuel across Nigeria soon. We have received over 300 million litres as of Tuesday. More have arrived as we speak, but I can’t give you the figure. Vessels will keep arriving in Nigeria for 15 days, which started counting on Monday, and we will keep distributing the product across the nation.
“The masses should not panic; all these will soon vanish. We are not prioritising anywhere, each state has its allocation to be delivered accordingly,” Cardoso stated.
In the last few days, the queues and shortage of petroleum products worsened the living conditions of most Nigerians as they struggled to get the product.
Roads were deserted while some individuals parked their vehicles at various filling stations pending the availability of petrol.
Hoarding of the product had also been on the increase, as some took advantage of the situation.
Concerned, the House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream and Midstream) called on security agencies to pick up hoarders of PMS.
Speaking with Saturday, the spokesperson of NNPC, Olufemi Soneye, explained that the oil firm currently had about three billion litres of petrol, as he blamed oil marketers and panic buying for the lingering queues.
“The queues are clearing. They won’t just clear like that, because people are trying to hoard, while others are buying what they don’t need. That is why we keep saying there is enough product; there is no need to buy what you don’t need.
“Also, you can’t exclude the marketers in this, as they want to use this opportunity to make more money. These are the issues, which is why we have involved the NMDPRA, because it is their duty to ensure that the right thing is done by these filling stations.
“Our job is to provide the product and we’ve told you that we have over 1.5 billion litres available. So, the NMDPRA should please do something about the distribution. It is not our job. We are not the regulator, and we don’t have power to sanction the filling stations that are not doing what they are supposed to do.”
Soneye said the NNPC had increased the volume of petrol in Nigeria and insisted that distribution by marketers was now the concern.
Stop blaming us for scarcity – Marketers to NNPC
Marketers under the aegis of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria have, however, told the NNPC not to blame them for the queues in filling stations, saying they were not involved in sharp practices.
The National Vice President of IPMAN, Hammed Fashola, wondered how the NNPC could shift the blame to marketers, who were not the importers of petrol.
WHY IT MATTERS
The Fuel Market has always been known as an imperfect market with lots of bottle neck structure and artificial scarcity to its name. Fuel scarcity is an inherent factor and the Nigeria Economy has alot to say about it. From the drastic decrease in Gross National Product ( GNP) to Small Medium Enterprise ( SME’S) decapitation.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Despite numerous promises by the government to address the issue, the situation remains unchanged. The government must take concrete steps to address the root causes of the problem, including inadequate supply and sharp practices by petroleum marketers, to ensure a stable and affordable fuel supply for citizens. The people of Nigeria demand a better future, and it’s time for the government to deliver.
