There is no supply anywhere…..

The Chairman of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Ore Depot, Engr. Shina Amoo, has voiced serious concerns over the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited’s (NNPCL) failure to adequately supply petroleum products to its members. Amoo, who appeared as a guest on Channels Television’s “Morning Brief” on Tuesday, highlighted the significant challenges facing independent marketers over the past three years due to this supply shortfall.

“There is no supply anywhere,” Amoo stated, emphasizing the severity of the situation. “For now, the only supply available is not well distributed. We have been raising concerns about the distribution pattern for a long time. Previously, we operated under a 70/30 supply arrangement based on our strength, but now, we can’t even talk of IPMAN when it comes to supply. We are not even being considered.”

Amoo further elaborated on the disparity in fuel availability, noting that out of 50 petrol stations sampled, only between three and eight are actually selling products. These products, according to him, are being obtained at premium prices, far above the official rates.

“Virtually all the depots we buy from sell to us at prices they want to sell, ranging from ₦750 to ₦850 per litre. Instead of getting products at ₦560 from NNPC, none of us have been able to do so for over two to three years,” Amoo said, describing a situation in which independent marketers are forced to source products from private depots at exorbitant rates due to prolonged delays in accessing NNPCL supplies.

Amoo pointed to the collapse of the previously established distribution pattern as a critical issue, asserting that the NNPCL has been redirecting supplies away from IPMAN to other associations, leaving IPMAN members struggling to sustain their operations.

“The year NNPC abandoned the distribution pattern was when they stopped being sincere,” he said. “They stopped supplying IPMAN and would rather supply DAPPMAN, MEMAN. And the volume they give us cannot handle IPMAN’s activities.”

Amoo identified the ongoing fuel subsidy regime and the NNPCL’s role as the sole importer of petroleum products as major contributing factors to the crisis. He argued that the removal of subsidies, while leading to an increase in product prices, has not been accompanied by the expected transparency in the downstream sector. “If corruption was removed from the downstream system, prices of products would be forced to drop,” Amoo remarked.