Moses Uwagbale
The pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) has risen to between N170 and N175 per litre in Anambra and its environs as against N162 because of scarcity of the product as queues mounts in Borno state.
The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) blamed the development on non-availability of the product in depots in the zone and reported that marketers have adjusted their pump price to the new prices.
The adjustments have been effected in spite of assurances by the NNPC that there was no plan to increase pump price of petrol.
The NNPC had also assured that there was sufficient product in the country.
NNPC mega station had adjusted its pump price to N162 per litre as against N159.
A filling station operator, Mr Victor Emeka said the product was not available in private tank farms, adding that the NNPC was not selling.
Emeka said under a deregulated market regime, it was in the best interest of marketers to sell as cheap as possible to remain in business but nobody “can sell below cost price’’.
He blamed the increase on scarcity and called on NNPC to address supply inadequacies.
Reacting, Mr Chindedu Anyaso, the IPMAN Chairman in charge of Anambbra, Enugu and Ebonyi, confirmed that members under the zone where selling petrol at between N170 and N175 per litre.
According to Anyaso, loading cost at depots has increased from N149 to N163 per litre excluding loading cost and transportation.
He said the current hike was due to supply shortage, adding that marketers were only responding to price variations.
Anyaso said that the problem in the South-east was peculiar because there was no functional petroleum depot in the zone.
He said that members in the zone relied on Lagos, Warri, Calabar and Port Harcourt to source petrol.
“IPMAN wishes to appeal to NNPC to ensure sufficient supply of products. As I am talking to you our members are buying petrol at the depot at N164, they load for N1 and pay transportation of N6 per litre.
“Here in South-east, we are struggling to stay in business because we rely on depot outside the zone for supply.’’
Meanwhile, Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) has explained that queues observed in some filing stations in Maiduguri were caused by panic buying by motorists on the assumption that the price of petrol would soon increase.
Mr Ibrahim Ciroma, North East Zonal Operations Controller of DPR, said in Maiduguri on Friday that the assumption was unfounded because Maiduguri received between 15 and 20 trucks of petrol daily.
Ciroma urged motorists not to panic as the DPR was on top of the situation.
According to him, there is no cause for alarm.
“Maiduguri receives between 15 and 20 trucks of petrol daily and we are monitoring all filling stations to ensure that no one hoards or sells above the official pump price of N162 per litre.
“I have called the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) in the state to appeal against any malpractice from the members.
“IPMAN has also constituted a committee to ensure its members sells at the approved price and nobody is hoarding the commodity,” Ciroma said.
The controller reiterated the commitment of DPR to ensure steady supply of fuel to Borno.
He said to ensure there were no hitches, some staff hitherto directed to stay at home because of COVID-19, had been recalled for effective monitoring of filling station
