News

Petrol queues spread to Lagos

Published

2 months ago

July 9, 2024

Admin

The scarcity of petrol that started in the Federal Capital Territory(FCT) six days ago has spread to Lagos.

Yesterday, motorists at Nigeria’s commercial hub, spent hours at the few filling stations selling the product.

An on-the-spot assessment by our reporters showed that many of the stations that dispensed the product were independent marketers.

Many major marketers did not sell petrol.

The situation presented an opportunity to the independent stations to raise pump prices. The cost of a litre ranged between N610 to N800 depending on the area of purchase.

Petrol attendants and black market hawkers also made quick money from desperate motorists.

One of our reporters who drove from Akoka to Oshodi observed that only one filling station (Mobil ) at Vono Bus Stop in Mushin was open for business.

There were also queues at filling stations operated by TotalEnergies and Tecno Oil in Festac Town. NNPC Limited’s petrol station on Ago Palace Way had long lines of motorists waiting to buy the product.

At NNPC Limited filling station on Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, a motorist, who identified himself simply as Richard, said he willingly offered N1,000 to an attendant to hire a keg and buy petrol for him.

‘’Apart from the N1,000, I gave him N500 for his effort. There was no way I could have joined the queue because I had an emergency to attend to,’’ he told The Nation.

In the FCT, the queues lengthened with a litre of petrol selling for between N720 and N820 at independent stations. At those run by major marketers, it N690.

The NNPC Limited retail outlets that operated still sold for N617 per litre but with very long vehicular queues.

On the other hand, black market operators sold the product for as much as N1,100 to N1,300 per litre.

But as motorists and commuters groaned, the NNPC Limited warned against hoarding of petrol. It assured of improved in supplies soon.

In a statement by its Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Mr. Olufemi Soneye, the NNPC Limited blamed the scarcity on a number of factors, including thunderstorms and floods.

The company explained that the unfavourable weather conditions did not only affect ship-to-ship (STS) transfer of petrol but ‘’truck load outs and transportation of the product to retail outlets.

It added that there was need for caution to be upheld during rainstorms and lightning because of the inflammability of petroleum products.

Soneye said in the statement that there was no cause for alarm as ‘’loading has commenced in areas where these challenges have subsided’’

The statement reads in part: “The NNPC Ltd wishes to state that the disruption of fuel queues seen in the FCT and some parts of the country, were as a result of disruption of ship-to-ship (STS) transfer of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as petrol, between Mother Vessels and Daughter Vessels resulting from recent thunderstorm.

“The adverse weather condition also affected berthing at jetties, truck load-outs and transportation of products to filling stations, causing a disruption in station supply logistics.”

He added that adherence to safety regulations as advised by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) is mandatory as ‘’any deviation could pose severe danger to the trucks, filling stations and human lives.’’

Soneye also said the scarcity was compounded by consequential flooding of truck routes especially at coastal corridors to the FCT.

Executive Secretary, Major Energies Marketers Association of Nigeria (MEMAN), Clement Isong is on the same page with the NNPC Limited on the cause of the scarcity.

Isong said: “The supply chain was disrupted. For a few days last week, there was heavy rain which disrupted operations at depots and loading bays. Petrol cannot be loaded during rainstorm and lightening.

‘’The roads were flooded and trucks could either not move or were moving slowly. So we lost two or three days of loading activities and it’s the backflow of this that has led to the queues. But the queues will disappear because petrol is very much available, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

News

Rupture In PDP Governors’ Forum deepens

Published

2 hours ago

September 20, 2024

Austin Ojomah

By Ojomah Austin.

The evolving fall-out, which comes barely days to the contentious National Executive Committee (NEC) of PDP, followed a back and forth between the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike and the Governors forum, who declared support for Rivers State governor, Siminalayi Fubara to be made leader of the party in the state.

After a meeting with some members of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) in Bauchi on Wednesday, Governor Mohammed, said “According to our party’s constitution, any leadership vacancy should be filled by someone from the region where it originated,” stressing that Damagum would be replaced soon considering that he hails from North East and not the North Central.

Same day, Makinde, during the groundbreaking of the upgrading of Ladoke Akintola Airport, Ibadan, to an international airport, which was attended by another set of NWC members, led by Damagum, said he would support whatever decision the Damagum-led NWC would take to reposition the party.

Damagum, who is considered a close ally of Nyesom Wike, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, was appointed acting national chairman after the removal of Iyorchia Ayu in June 2023.

Meanwhile, the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the PDP led by Senator Adolph Wabara, met with members of the National Assembly caucus in Abuja.

The close door meeting comes barely hours after the BoT met with Wike in Abuja.

While Wabara refused to comment on the essence of the meeting with the lawmakers, it was noticed that most of the lawmakers didn’t honour the invitation.

News

Tears As Man Takes Own Life Over Tinubu’s Govt Hardship

Published

2 hours ago

September 20, 2024

Naijablitznews

By Mario Deepromoter

Sad development in Marika village, Kiyawa Local Government, Jigawa, where a 40-year-old man, Jibrin Adamu, committed suicide by hanging himself.

According to eyewitnesses, Adamu’s lifeless body was discovered in a classroom at Miftahul Khairat Islamiyya and Primary School Gurdiba on Thursday.

Police spokesperson DSP Lawan Shiisu Adam confirmed the incident, stating that preliminary investigations revealed Adamu had struggled with mental health issues.

“Police received a report on Thursday that at about 1830hrs, a tragic incident was reported at the Command headquarters that one Jibrin Adamu ‘m’ age 40yrs of Jigawar Maroka village, Kiyawa LGA has committed suicide by hanging himself over the ceiling at Islamiyya school,” the Police spokesperson told Daily Post.

The Jigawa State Commissioner of Police, CP AT Abdullahi, has instructed officers to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident.

News

Just in: Dangote Petrol Now Available at N765.99 Per Litre

Published

2 hours ago

September 20, 2024

Naijablitznews

By Mario Deepromoter

11plc, Total Energies, AA Rano, and other marketers have begun lifting Dangote Petrol through Nigerian National Company (NNPC) Trading Limited for N765.99 to retail outlets nationwide.

Findings showed some petroleum marketers who were able to complete their payment process on the NNPC trading payment portal commenced the lifting of petrol earlier this week under the existing agreement between marketers and the refinery.

Tunji Oyebanji, managing director, 11Plc confirmed to BusinessDay on Thursday evening that some marketers have started lifting the products at N765.99 from Dangote Refinery through NNPC who remain the sole off-taker of product.

“We were among the first marketers to complete the payment on the NNPC portal. We have no direct arrangement with the refinery,” Oyebanji said.

It was gathered that NNPC Retail, 11plc, Total Energies, A.A Rano are among the marketers that have picked up products from the refinery.

He added, “We don’t know the contractual financial arrangement between NNPC and the refinery but what I can confirm is we are buying at N765.99 from NNPC to lift Dangote petrol”.

Efforts to get the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) to confirm if its members have picked up products at the Dangote Refinery proved abortive at the time of writing this report.

See also Nigeria’s Petrol Landing Cost Revealed
Adedapo Segun, executive vice-president, downstream at NNPC said marketers cannot purchase petrol directly from the refinery because the product is still sold at a subsidised rate.

“That is the same thing happening with Dangote. I said earlier that Dangote is a company and it is going to sell at market price,” he told Journalists.

According to Segun, “The market value of PMS is still higher than what N766 or N765 or N799 that NNPC is selling.

“The situation has not changed there. So, NNPC’s off-taking is only because the others would not buy at the price Dangote will be willing to sell, which is reasonable.

“As soon as the price allows for it, you will see the marketers go to Dangote and buy.”