Amid the ongoing crisis regarding the availability of fuel across the country, the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) now stands at approximately N625 to N630 per litre.
Oil marketers continue to voice concerns about the mass shutdown of filling stations and the inability to transport petroleum tankers due to the skyrocketing costs associated with importation, lifting, transportation, and distribution of petroleum products.
Due to a lack of foreign exchange, marketers are struggling to import petroleum products, compounded by their inability to access products from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), leading to the current scarcity.
Investigations reveal that most filling stations within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) are either not dispensing products or are selling them in the N625-N630 per litre range.
In response, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), the sole importer of fuel, has insisted that there is an ample supply of the product, with a 30-day sufficiency.
Commenting on the situation, Chief Chinedu Ukadike, the Spokesperson of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), commended the government’s decision to maintain the current PMS price, considering the various crises afflicting the sector. However, he cautioned that if the current rate persists, petrol prices should be between N900 and N1,000 per litre, potentially creating a dire situation for Nigerians.
Ukadike explained, “The Federal Government has shifted away from deregulation and is now subsidizing petroleum products due to importers’ inability to source dollars from the parallel market, where the dollar rate is nearly N1,300. The government’s intervention, through its subsidiary NNPCL, has emerged as the country’s sole fuel importer, thus ensuring continued subsidy for Nigerians.”
He highlighted other factors contributing to the price increase, stating, “In Abuja, marketers are selling at N630 per litre because they are buying from Lagos, and the transportation cost from Lagos is now approximately N2.3 million, depending on the truck’s capacity, compared to the previous N400,000.”
Billy Gillis Harry, President of the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN), noted that as of Friday, the PMS price from the depot was N605 per litre, justifying the noticeable adjustment in the retail price. He advised consumers that if they find PMS at N640 or N650, they should consider it a fair deal due to the challenges faced by retailers in sourcing and distributing the product.