Fuel scarcity to end soon

An end may be in sight for the fuel scarcity that has gripped the country in the past four months, as the Federal Government and petroleum marketers yesterday agreed to work together to end the queues at filling stations within two weeks.

They also agreed to set up a task force to monitor the situation and implement agreements reached during a meeting of stakeholders in the sector in Abuja.

A communiqué issued at the end of the meeting by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum

Resources, Taiye Haruna, also directed the marketers to immediately move about 700 trucks of premium motor spirit (Petrol) to Abuja and its environs.

It read: "The meeting agreed after exhaustive deliberations in respect of the persistent fuel queue in the nation to adopt the following measure:

"The petroleum products marketing company in conjunction with Marketers, both major and independent have agreed to move products or to increase the level of supply to all retail outlets nationwide with immediate effect

"The marketers have also been directed to move 700 trucks of PMS to Abuja with immediate effect. However it was identified that one of the major constraint to distribution was the long jam at Apapa-Oshodi currently we have over 2000 trucks on that road waiting to take fuel at the depot.

"We have agreed to work with Lagos state government Petrol Tankers Driver and NARTO to clear the long jam at Apapa. Trucks are at Apapa to load products but could not get product but we fashioned out modality to clear the long jam in conjunction with other stakeholders mentioned earlier so that we can start moving product out of the depot.

"We have enough stocks that can last for the 23 days; also we agreed to set up the committee of stakeholder to monitor the loading and delivering of products nationwide".

The stakeholders agreed that efforts will be made to clear this before June 23. 

"The petroleum Equalization Fund (PEF) will track all the trucks from Apapa using the Aquila project to avoid diversion of the products. DPR is to ensure that products are delivered and selling proceed should not be more than N87 per litre

"Government will not relent in their efforts to ensure that the challenge become a thing of the past", it added.

Some of those at the meeting were top officials of the Ministry of Petroleum Resources led by Taiye Haruna; the Managing Director of Petroleum Pipelines and Marketing Company (PPMC), Haruna Momoh, Executive Secretary PPPRA Farouk Hamed; NNPC Group Managing Director represented by Dr David Ige.

Others were Executive Secretary Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN) Femi Olawore, and Executive Secretary DAPMA, Femi Adewole.

Olawore said shortly after the meeting that although the marketers had not been paid, they would ensure that fuel queues were cleared.

According to him, "PPMC has assured us that they have products and we have also seen some evidence from the vessels that are around. Once the vessels are being cleared, we have resolved that we are going to move products to clear the queues".

Daily Independent