Long queues for petrol resurfaced in Abuja and neighboring states on Friday as independent marketers shut down their filling stations due to the hike in ex-depot prices by private depot owners.
“We are finding it difficult to access petrol because of the high ex-depot price of N710/litre by private depot owners,” said Abubakar Maigandi, National President of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN).
“It’s challenging for us to sell at a price that will give us a margin, considering the transportation cost and other expenses.”
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Maigandi explained that IPMAN members were unable to get direct supply from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) due to limited allocation.
“We are getting products from NNPC, but the volume is too small compared to our membership. We need additional volumes to meet the demand.”
According to Maigandi, the queues are not due to scarcity but market challenges. “There is enough product in-country, but the queues are caused by the high ex-depot price. As soon as we get products at a fair price, we will dispense, and the queues will vanish.”
Officials at the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources confirmed that the market had been deregulated, and there was enough product in-country. “It’s a deregulated downstream oil sector, so dealers buy and sell based on demand and supply. There is enough product from NNPC. There is no scarcity.”
An NNPC official assured motorists that the queues would clear out fast, stating, “We have enough product in-country, and we are working to ensure a smooth supply.”
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The queues were mostly seen in city centers, particularly at NNPC mega stations, Conoil, Total, and Salbas filling stations, among others.
Maigandi noted that the situation was not as dire in remote villages, where queues were minimal. “When you go to the villages, you will see that there are no queues.”
