March 28, 2024

DSS gives NNPCL, MOMAN, DAPPMAN other 48-hour ultimatum to end nationwide fuel scarcity

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Oredola Adeola

The Department of State Services (DSS) has issued a 48-hour  ultimatum for the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN) as well as Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN) and other players within the downstream sector to end the scarcity of Premium Motor Spirit(PMS) also known as petrol across the country, threatening to launch manhunt, after the expiration of the order should there still be queues at filling stations.

Peter Afunanya, DSS spokesman, made this announcement while briefing the media at the headquarters of the secret police in Abuja, shortly after over three hours of a closed-door meeting between  Yusuf Bichi, Director-General of DSS, and downstream operators.

According to Afunanya,  stakeholders including MOMAN, DAPPMAN, Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD), all agreed to end fuel scarcity nationwide.

The spokesman said all the DSS commands across the country had been placed on red alert and would commence operations to bring defaulters to book.

He said, “The challenge of fuel scarcity has assumed a dimension that is detrimental to the security of the country.

The DSS confirmed that the NNPC agreed that there is enough product to serve Nigerians during and after the end of the year.

The Ejigbo Satellite Depot of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) had earlier in a similar statement published by EnergyDay on Wednesday, issued a seven-day ultimatum to NNPCL to make adequate arrangements for IPMAN members to buy fuel at a regulated price of N148.17 per litre, having been subjected to buying for ex-depot prices at N220 per litre.

The persistent fuel scarcity has become a permanent feature across the country, practically crippling business activities in Lagos, Ogun, Port Harcourt, Abuja, and other parts of the country.

The unabated scarcity is happening even after NNPCL and NMDPRA have promised adequate product sufficiency in different statements, with a commitment to ensuring that marketers load products from strategic depots to retail outlets nationwide.

In Lagos, Port Harcourt, and Abuja most filling stations owned by major marketers including  Total Energies, Conoil, NIPCO, AITEO, and Mobil (11 PLC)  sell petrol for N170 per litre, recording long queues.

The independent marketers on their part are selling for N260 and N300 per litre in some parts, after picking the products from the terminals and depots owned by Total Energies, Conoil, NIPCO, AITEO, and Mobil (11 PLC) at an average of N215 per litre.

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