The Independent Petroleum Marketers
Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) yesterday
warned of imminent fuel across the country.
Its Vice President, Alhaji Abubakar Dankigari
told The Nation on phone that the Nigerian
National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) which
sold the product for N133 per litre at the
depots, was no longer loading petrol.
According to him, private depots around Calabar
were already selling the product between N138
and N140 per litre.

He added that the marketers had decided to
keep their trucks since the Petroleum
Equalisation Fund (PEF) was already owing them
over N200 billion for bridging the product.
If this trend continues, he said, there will be
scarcity of petrol and kerosene in the next few
days.
He said as petrol was difficult to access,
kerosene was not available anywhere in the
country.

He said: “If care is not taken there will be fuel
(petrol) scarcity because private depots have
started increasing their rates; they are selling
the product at a higher rate now in Calabar.
“Secondly, the cost of diesel is increasing. It is
between N250 to N270 per litre. You can see
that the cost of diesel is high but it is equally
available because it has been deregulated. In
addition, PEF that is supposed to be paying the
transport fare is not paying.
“So, the marketers have decided to keep their
trucks. The money PEF is owing marketers is
now over N200billion. If this trend continues,
there will be scarcity and the products will be
very difficult to get. There is no kerosene at all.
“The major problem is that in Calabar,
marketers are buying this product at N138 to
N140 from the private depots. You know that
what the NNPC said we should collect is N133
NNPC but they are not loading.”
Dankigari noted that the foreign exchange rate
is too high for his members to import products
into the country.