• IPMAN pleads with NMDPRA and NNPC to avoid delisting operators from sales portal to prevent fuel crisis.
• Despite more filling stations opening and a slight drop in pump prices, queues persist.
With fuel scarcity worsening, over 9,000 oil marketers face the risk of losing their licenses. The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) is urging the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) to extend the final deadline for licensing renewal until July. Additionally, IPMAN appeals to the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) to release 9,000 already processed licenses to its members. These requests were communicated through a release signed by Chief Chinedu Ukadike, the National Public Relations Officer of IPMAN.
Earlier concerns over the slow pace of marketers’ license renewal by the NMDPRA were raised by IPMAN. The association highlighted this issue in a statement on Sunday, citing delays in payment of marketers’ bridging claims.
Meanwhile, fuel scarcity persists, leading to commercial drivers in Abeokuta, Ogun State, queuing at filling stations. The government has initiated a 15-day emergency fuel supply to address the scarcity, with vessels continuing to discharge petrol to different depots for distribution. However, residents in Lagos, Oyo, Osun, and other states are yet to see a significant improvement, prompting commercial drivers to raise transport fares. Many are resorting to black market sales, where petrol is sold at inflated prices, reaching as high as N1,200 per liter.
Observations reveal that fuel scarcity has become a lucrative venture for black market sellers, particularly evident in Ikeja, Lekki, and other parts of Lagos, as well as in Osun State. Long queues persist at filling stations, such as NNPC and NIPCO stations, where fuel is available but at higher prices, exacerbating concerns among Nigerians about potential income losses.