By Salim Yunusa
Long car queues on resurfaced this at petrol filling stations in Abuja and other states such as Kaduna, Sokoto, Lagos, Jigawa, Uyo, Kano and others as uncertainty make marketers refuse to load from depots.
Apart from NNPC retail stations and some major marketers, many of the independent marketers did not open. Because of this, there were long queues at the few petrol stations selling to customers.
The president of Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Chinedu Okonkwo, declined to comment on the cause of scarcity, but an executive member of the association attributed the situation to anxiety over price of fuel.
However, NNPC dispelled rumours of a price hike In a press release on 28th February, 2021 by the Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Dr. Kennie Obateru, stated that the Corporation was not contemplating any raise in the price of petrol in March in order not to jeopardize ongoing engagements with organized labour and other stakeholders on an acceptable framework that will not expose the ordinary Nigerian to any hardship.
Contrary to speculations of imminent increase in the price of Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) in the country, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (#NNPC) has ruled out any increment in the ex-depot price of petrol in March, 2021.
NNPC also cautioned petroleum products marketers not to engage in arbitrary price increase or hoarding of petrol in order not to create artificial scarcity and unnecessary hardship for Nigerians.
The Corporation further stated that it has enough stock of petrol to keep the nation well supplied for over 40 days and urged motorists to avoid panic buying. It further called on relevant regulatory authorities to step up monitoring of the activities of marketers with a view to sanctioning those involved in products hoarding or arbitrary increase of pump price.
