Sustainability of fuel supply worries stakeholders

The fuel situation in Lagos and environs yesterday got a lift, as more filling stations were seen selling fuel than was the situation in the last few days.

But industry operators said the sustainability of  the supply programme is still a major source of worry, as they are yet to ascertain the volume of product available to the NNPC.

Also, they complained about the turnaround time for the delivery of the cargoes, which still remains a big challenge because of the limited facilities at the   various Apapa jetties.

Industry operators said if there could be back to back discharge by the vessels, the situation at the outlets would improve within a very short time.

  Even though long queues are still in evidence, there signs of a step up in supply, an indication that consumers would eventually get to buy, and at the official price of N86.50 per litre, unlike the previous day, when some people had to sleep at filling stations.

In Lagos, there are indications that motorists are experiencing some relief in filling their tanks than the previous day.

Filling stations such as NIPCO at Fadeyi, Mobil, Total Forte Oil and Conoil all along Ikorodu Road in the mainland area, were all dispensing fuel yesterday.  Other suburbs of the metropolis such as   Surulere, Alapere, and Orile also witnessed more stations dispensing fuel.

When asked to assess the situation, Olufemi Olawore , the executive secretary of the Major Oil  Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN) said, “to the extent that  there are more filling stations selling today, there  is an improvement.”

But Justin Ezeala, executive director, supply and distribution, of the Nigeria Products Marketing Company, maintained that 30,000 metric tons (40 million litres) of petrol is being discharge everyday in order to ease the fuel scarcity till the end of April, 2016.

According to Ezeala, about 300 trucks are being deployed, as against the normal 200 trucks to a place like Lagos, to help improve the situation.

He said in anticipation of yesterday’s  target by petroleum minister,  Emmanuel Ibe  Kachikwu, that there  would be massive improvement in supply, the company has decided to push seven cargoes to various coastal cities such as Port Harcourt, Calabar and Warri.

He said the  system 2B, Atlas Cove  pipeline  which pumps fuel to Mosimi  depot is now working.  It would also pump fuel to Ibadan, from where the northern parts of the country would be serviced in order to cut short the number of days it would take to transport fuel to the north.

The company, he said, is ahead in terms of cargoes importation.  He however lamented that trucking the product is not the most efficient way of distribution, but given the current problems  the country is faced with, this is the best they could do.

Other Industry sources who spoke to BuisnessDay, maintained that there may not be respite until next week because the rate of discharge of the cargoes brought into Apapa jetty is very slow.

Olusola Bello