Pipo from different parts of Nigeria dey face fuel scarcity wey start over one week ago dey bite harder.
Di effects of di current scarcity be like say na for di northern part of di country pipo dey feel am pass, even though residents for southern statesfor Lagos, Akwa Ibom, and odas dey also complain.
For several states for di north, including di capital Abuja, long queues don appear for stations wey dey sell petrol, while majority of fuel stations, including major companies like Total energies, no even get fuel to sell.
BBC Pidgin speak to Bashir Ahmed Dan Mallam, wey be di chairman of Arewa Oil and Gas Marketers Association (AOGMA), di association of petroleum dealers for northern Nigeria, and e try to break down di major things we dey lead to di current scarcity of Premium Motor Spirit, commonly known as petrol.
‘Dem dey use smaller vessels to import fuel’
Dan Mallam tok say na smaller vessels dey bring petroleum products into di kontri sake of a number of reasons, and also because na dis smaller vessels go fit reach some ports like di Bonny Terminal for Rivers State and di Escravos Terminal for Delta State.
One reason why bigger vessels no too dey available be say as Dangote refinery don take off, di company dey engage more of dem to dey transport dia product.
Also, some international oil companies dey use dis vessels for dia own businesses, and “dem no dey work for anybody except diasef”.
Anoda reason, according to Dan Mallam, na di Russia/Ukraine war, wey don make oda European companies to boycott Russian vessels, and also to shun anybodi wey dey patronise dem.
“Once you buy fuel from di Russians, di oda European kontries go stop to dey supply to you, and dis na sake of di sanctions wey Europe and oda western kontries don put on Russia,” e tok.
“Even if you get your own vessel, you no dey allowed to buy from Russia. If you do am, every oda kontri go isolate you. So e don reduce di amount of fuel importation into di kontri.”
Smuggling
Dan Mallam tok say dem dey suspect say some oil marketers, especially di ones wey dey close to di borders, dey smuggle PMS to neighbouring kontries like Benin Republic, wia di price dey higher and dem go fit make more gain.
Dis no be strange development as di Nigeria Customs Service in di past bin don intercept trucks wey dey try to smuggle petroleum products outside di country.
High interest rates and rising costs
For March 2024, di Central Bank of Nigeria raise interest rates for di kontri to an all-time high of 24.75%, as dem tok say na move to slow di rate of inflation.
However, Dan Mallam tok say di decision don impact negatively on petroleum marketers because e no work to dey collect loans from banks at almost 40%.
“Marketers wey no too get capital, and di ones wey dia capitals no reach, dey usually borrow money from banks in order to buy petroleum products.
“Di official interest rate na 24.75%, but if you na person wey dey do financial transactions, you go know say banks also wan make profits, so at di end of di day you go see say interests on top of di loan you wan collect go dey near 40%. E no dey sustainable.”
According to Dan Mallam, dis don make a number of small time marketers to stop to dey buy, or to dey rely on bigger marketers, wey mean say dem no go dey get petrol all di time and dia prices go dey higher.
NNPC no dey supply us – PETROAN
President of di Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN), Billy Gillis-Harry, on Monday tok say di major reason for di current scarcity na becos NNPC neva supply marketers wit di product.
“We no get any reason not to serve di public and we dey willing to. Di only thing na for NNPC to deliver petroleum products to us and we go make sure say our retail outlets dey open, some of them dey even open for 24 hours,” Gillis-Harry tok for TV interview.
Wen dis scarity fit end?
Di Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) bin release statement wia dem explain say di scarcity na due to “logistical issues” and dat di issues don dey resolved.
However nothing don change. In fact, di situation don dey worse dan as e be on April 25 wen NNPC issue di statement.
On di part of Dan Mallam, e no dey easy to tok exactly wen dis scarcity go end, however, “if di assurances by NNPC na anything to go by, den e fit end very soon”.
How di situation be for oda parts of Nigeria?
BBC Pidgin observe say no scarcity of fuel dey Yenagoa di Bayelsa State capital as NNPC filling stations dey sell N590 while private stations dey sell N600, even though some fuelling Stations dey closed as dem no get products, but drivers dey easily get fuel wen dem want.
For Port Harcourt Rivers state, fuel queues no dey and stations dey sell between N686 to N690 per litre while NNPC dey sell N595.
Di situation dey di same for Uyo di Akwa Ibom State capital though pipo dey buy fuel between N700 and N720 per litre but dem fit go any filling station get product.
Calabar di Cross River State capital bin experience some scarcity last week but as at dis week, fuel dey sell for black market at N800 per litre while fuelling stations dey sell at between N700 to N750 per litre.
One of di promises of di Nigeria goment wen dem remove fuel subsidy in May 2023 be say e go free di market so dat independent marketers go fit do dia business witout plenty goment interference, and dat e go solve di problem of recurrent fuel scarcities.
Almost one year don pass, but e no look like di problem go dey solved anytime soon.
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