Fuel Scarcity, Queues, Only Temporary – Reps

House of Representatives Committees on Petroleum Resources, Downstream and Midstream have confirmed the availability of petroleum products which arrived in the country since their supply and distribution to marketers were disrupted by challenges of marine shuttle vessels.

The vessels were supposed to take them from offshore to onshore.

The lawmakers, however, acknowledged that the logistics challenges had since been addressed and product distribution had commenced and the queues will disappear in a matter of days, hence the need to avoid any panic buying as there are product availability.

The Downstream and Midstream Committees Chairmen, Hon. Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere and Hon. Odianosen Henry Okojie spoke on the scarcity and how to provide solutions to sameat a press conference in Abuja

The lawmakers expressed concerns over the temporary presence of fuel queues in petrol stations across the country which has adversely affected the lives and businesses of Nigerians and expressed the optimism that normalcy will return in a few days.

Ugochinyere, who represents Ideato North South Federal Constituency of Imo State, said in the last few days the downstream and midstream committees reached out to the stakeholders in the distribution value chain including the NNPCL, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria and the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO).

He said they engaged extensively with them, with a view to ascertaining the cause of the resurgence of the fuel queues across the country and from investigations, it was found out that there is availability of petrol products, at least, about 1.5 billion litres of petrol that can last for 30 days.

The lawmaker noted that it is as a result of logistics that the queues have resurfaced and these logistic issues range from difficulty in transporting products from the mother vessel to the respective petrol stations.

The lawmaker assured that the lawmakers have gotten assurances from the regulators in the value chain that these bottlenecks are being cleared.

Ugochinyere said, “Ladies and gentlemen, it is so painful that Nigerians have been subjected to great hardship and pains as a result of the scarcity of petroleum products in the past few days. This development has led us, as representatives of the people, to engage with the regulators of the relevant sectors with a view to finding out the cause(s) of this scarcity and providing solutions to the same.

“We have in the last few days reached out to the stakeholders in the distribution value chain; the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN), and the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) and engaged extensively with them, with a view to ascertaining the cause of the resurgence of the fuel queues across the country.

“We hereby express our concerns over the temporary presence of fuel queues in petrol stations across the country. This has adversely affected the lives and businesses of Nigerians across the country. As elected representatives of the Nigerian people, we are greatly disturbed by this development. However, we are convinced that this is temporary and in a couple of days, we shall get over it.

“From our investigations, we have found out that there is availability of petrol products. We have on good authority that we have in our storage facilities, at least, about 1.5 billion litres of petrol that can last for 30 days. It is however saddening to note that it is as a result of logistics that the queues have resurfaced.

“We have gotten assurances from the regulators in the value chain that these bottlenecks are being cleared. In the course of this public holiday, more grounds will be covered. From our findings, the issues that necessitated the disruptions which led to the appearance of fuel queues in petrol stations have been cleared. Obviously, it will take a few days for things to return back to normalcy.

“Therefore, we call on Nigerians not to fret over this development. We have gotten assurances from the regulators and the unions that these will be cleared in the next two days. It will require more time, like two to three days, for products to be distributed to all stations nationwide. As a Committee that is geared towards ameliorating the sufferings of the people we represent, we have been monitoring this development.”

“At this juncture, we strongly frown at the activities of middlemen who have taken advantage of the short disruption of supply, to maximize profit and generate inordinate gain for themselves, at the detriment of our people. We hereby call on security forces to support the NNPCL, NMDPRA, PETROAN, NARTO and other key stakeholders in the distribution chain, so as to ensure that acts of economic sabotage that has to do with hoarding, arbitrary increment in price, products diversion and smuggling are detected and dealt with.”

The lawmaker appreciated Speaker Abbas Tajudeen for his concern in the last few days and has been on top of the situation with their Committees in the course of the interface with the regulators and key stakeholders in the industry.

In the same vein, the Midstream Committee chairman, Okojie urged Nigerians not to engage in panic buying and being enmeshed in unnecessary rush to buy products as the country has a storage of over 1.5 billion litres which can last for over 30 days.

“I am just going to give a bit of an update of what is happening in the country today. As a committee we have engaged sufficiently with the appropriate authorities in terms of fuel distribution and as at today the report we are getting suggests that the fuel queues have started reducing and products have started arriving at the petrol stations.

“We urge Nigerians not to engage in panic buying and being enmeshed in unnecessary rush to buy products. As a country we have a storage of over 1.5 billion litres which can last for over 30 days. Now products are arriving and more products are on the high sea.

“The challenges that caused the disruption was the logistics issues and that has been handled with the maritime shuttle vessels as we speak, which will move products to marketers who are on standby waiting to serve the people. The logistics issues have been resolved completely and hopefully supply to stations would increase in a few days.

“There is no need to panic. Fuel is available and soon distribution would begin. In another day or two, there would not be fuel queues anymore in the country,” he said.