Some marketers of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as petrol, in parts of Lagos and Ogun states yesterday began to ration the product for motorists as high landing cost takes toll on their businesses. Some privately owned filling stations in the two states have begun to ration fuel while others locked gates for motorists.

Oando and other filing stations on the stretch of Ojodu road, except the mega station of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), did not sell the product when this newspaper visited yesterday while queues were noticed at the NNPC. A motorist at the NNPC mega station, Mr. Folu Ijasan, told this newspaper that he just joined the queue when he noticed that many filling stations on the stretch of Ojodu road did not sell petrol.

“My neighbour who works at a depot in Apapa has told us that privately owned filling stations got under supply of petrol. He said that many of them got 11,000 litres supply instead of their 33,000 litres demand.

“So, he said that we might begin to notice effect at filling stations from next week. I was alarmed today (yesterday) to have noticed that there are more filling stations who are not selling the product. The best I could do, which I have done, is to join the queues here at NNPC,” he said.

This same situation was noticed at the Ota, Ogun State, as more stations shut their gates for motorists. None of the stations, including Faith and Mervelous, Florinkay, Iswat, Henry Oil on the Lafenwa Itele road, except Rakab Filling Station, sold the product yesterday. “The effect of this is yet to be generally noticed because mega stations and major marketers have supply of the product. If nothing tangible is done, we may begin to have a situation at hand beginning from next week,” a management staff at a private depot in Apapa said.

NNPC, however, promised to sustain zero queues across the country, especially as Easter approaches. The corporation, in a statement, restated its commitment to what it described as “the sustenance of the present seamless supply and distribution of petroleum products across the country.”

Group Managing Director of the corporation, Dr. Maikanti Baru, who made this commitment during the NNPC Special Day at the 30th Enugu International Trade Fair, added that no fewer than 55 depots across the country were fully stocked with petrol. He explained that 23 depots in Lagos, seven in Port Harcourt, 11 in Warri, six in Calabar and eight in Kaduna, were stocked with petrol. Baru, who was represented by the Chief Operating Officer, Refineries and Petrochemicals, Engr. Anibo Kragha, said that the ongoing rehabilitation of the nation’s refineries was aimed at reducing importation of petroleum products and demand for foreign exchange in the country.

The GMD stated that as industry leader, the major focus of the corporation was “value addition in all our activities”, which he said had helped to ensure maximum benefit to all its stakeholders. He reiterated the need to protect the corporation’s facilities, especially the pipelines, saying the corporation recorded 257 vandalised points in December 2018 alone, with Ibadan-Ilorin axis accounting for 34 per cent of the total. In his welcome address, President of Enugu Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, Sir Emeka Udeze, commended NNPC for the stability in the supply and distribution of petroleum products in the country and its consistency in participating at the annual event. He advised the management of the corporation not to allow a re-occurrence of the problems that hitherto affected the smooth operations of the downstream petroleum sector.

•Adapted from a New Telegraph report.