Fuel supply pressure is building in Nigeria as the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN, says its members have paused loading petrol at the Dangote refinery.
Oyewole Akanni, zonal chairman of IPMAN for the western zone, told NAN that the refinery stopped sales at its gantry about four days ago without prior notice or explanation.
Because of that, marketers have been forced to source product from private depots, and those prices are “considerably higher,” Akanni said.
The fallout is already visible at the pump. According to Akanni, uncertainty over what Dangote will charge when sales resume has made many marketers hold back on new purchases. That hesitation has led some filling stations to shut temporarily after running out of stock.
“The non-availability of fuel at some filling stations and the closure of others are due to fluctuations in the price of lifting fuel from depots,” he said.
Akanni added that he personally has four truckloads of PMS still waiting at the refinery. “The company is not even loading its own trucks. They are all parked there,” he said.
He noted that NNPC Limited is also affected because it gets product from Dangote.
Despite the disruptions, Akanni urged calm.
“There is no fuel scarcity, members of the public should not panic,” he said. He did warn, however, that pump prices could rise if the situation continues.
The development comes days after a July 16 report that fuel importers plan to raise depot prices from N1,230 to N1,350 per litre.
