The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Ltd has stated that the recent rains, lightning, and thunderstorms are responsible for the shortage of fuel, which has resulted in lengthy lines at filling stations around the country.
This was disclosed by the NNPCL’s vice-president (downstream), Dapo Segun in a press conference at the NNPC towers in Abuja, according to People Gazzette.
Long queues have returned to filling stations across the nation, with car owners waiting in line for extended periods. Black markets are now profiting greatly from the fact that fuel is now being sold for more than N1,000.
Segun apologized to Nigerians on Tuesday for the long queues that were forming all over the nation, and adding the NNPC would make any excuses.
He said that the recent weather conditions that have made it difficult for fuel to be distributed evenly throughout the nation is beyond the control of the corporation, but assured that every effort would be made to handle the situation.
He said “We’d like to apologise to Nigerians for the queues we’ve been seeing springing up. A number of the causes are outside of our control but we’ll do our best to manage. We do not like to make excuses.
“For example, since the rains began, the Estragos channel has been difficult to navigate through. We have vessel after vessel going around there because of siltation, and that has really hindered our ability to bring petroleum products, particularly PMS, up the country.”
The NNPCL executive added, “We also understand that with the rains also, situations where to discharge petroleum products where there is lightning, thunderstorms, you have to suspend, not just the discharge of petroleum products onshore but also, the evacuation from the tankers. We’ve had situations that have occurred in recent times.
“We’ve also had issues with the road network. That also creates challenges in bringing these products upcountry. The tightness you see in Lagos currently was due to a very short supply gap, which has since been redressed. Vessels are in Lagos now, offloading and discharging as I speak. So, that is definitely short-lived.”
However, he vowed that despite several factors hampering the distribution, no stone will be left unturned to ensure that petroleum products reach every part of the nation.
