Petrol scarcity looms as depots shutdown

By John Ofikhenua, AbujaScarcity of the Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) popularly known as petrol is imminent as depot owners were said to have shut down operations on Monday.Depot owners were shutting down operations with the excuse that they have no products.According to the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) National Vice President, Alhaji Abubakar Maigandi, the owners were also closing shops because of the speculated increase in the petrol price.Despite the speculation, the Pipeline Products Marketing Company (PPMC) was yet to announce a new dealer price to marketers.He spoke with The Nation on phone that depot owners have already raised their price by N7.The National Vice President said the depots have increased their price from N148 to N155.His words: Even depot owners are shutting down because of the expected increase in price of petrol. The depot owners have increased the price from N138 to N145.He noted that IPMAN was yet to direct its members to increase their pump price since it was not sure that the depots adjusted their prices legally or illegally.Speculations of imminent petrol price hike have been rife since the price of crude oil soared to $60 per barrel.The cost of petroleum products is one of the components of the total landing cost of petrol in the pricing template of the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA).READ ALSO:Abuja: Motorists, commuters groan as petrol scarcity persistsBesides, only last Thursday, stakeholders in the industry made a very veiled reference to plan to increase of petrol prices when the Federal Government said it was waiting for the outcome of the meetings of the Organised Labour before raising the freight cost from N7.51 to N9.11 per litre.Freight cost is also one of the components of the total landing cost in the agencys pricing template.The Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) had in its 21st Annual General Meeting in Niger State, urged the Petroleum Equalization Executive (PEF) Executive Secretary, Alhaji Ahmed Bobboi, to commence implementation of the N9.11 freight cost.When asked when the Federal Government would commence implementation of the new cost, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Group Managing Director, Mala Mele Kyari, told reporters the PEF ES made a statement that there is ongoing engagement between the Federal Government and labour, and at the end of that process government will make an adequate pronouncement as to the effective date of that figure as contained in the pricing template.
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