Six major petroleum marketers are already loading products round the clock from their various depots in Lagos for onward trucking to all parts of the country.
This is according to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), as part of its intensified efforts to flood the market with Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), otherwise called petrol and other products.
NNPC Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Mr Ndu Ughamadu, who disclosed this in a statement issued by him on Saturday in Abuja, listed the marketers to include Total, Forte Oil, Oando Plc, MRS, 11 Plc and Nipco Plc.
“The supplies are mostly from cargoes of PMS imported to by NNPC which are daily berthing and immediately being made to discharge their products to stem the supply hiccups. The imported products are also being supplemented by supplies from the local refineries,” he said.
Ughamadu further conveyed NNPC’s assurance to Nigerians to remain calm and not to engage in panic buying of petrol, saying the end of the challenge is nigh.
He, however, warned marketers against hoarding the products as security agencies working with industry regulators would mete out appropriate sanctions to defaulters.
He also recalled that NNPC GMD, Dr Maikanti Baru, had earlier in the week, stated that the Corporation’s one billion litres PMS cargo imports had started to arrive in the country.
According to him, Baru said the supplies of products to parts of the country had been doubled to 80million litres per day since the current hiccup in the supply chain was noticed.
The statement comes as part of efforts by the Corporation to allay the fears of Nigerians amid the difficulties the fuel scarcity had caused in most states with just a day and few hours to Christmas.
Meanwhile, messy traffic scenes continued in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital on Saturday with commuters spending hours on the road.
The situation was worsened by long queues of vehicles at filling stations in most parts of the state due to the shortfall in petrol supply.
Slow movement of vehicles stretched as far as the Ojota axis as more commuters get on to the ever busy Lagos-Ibadan expressway on their way out of the state for the yuletide celebrations.
The fuel scarcity has also led to trade of blames between the supporters and critics of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.