Friday, March 14, 2014

Fresh Fuel Scarcity Looms As NNPC Depots Run Out Of Stock

Another round of scarcity of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) looms in the country as over 800 fuel tankers are currently stranded in Lagos due to unavailability of the product in Apapa depots.

The public relations officer of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers Association, South-West Zone, Comrade Tayo Aboyeji, revealed this to journalists yesterday while commenting on the large influx of tankers along Oshodi-Apapa Expressway.

He emphasised that over 800 tankers were stranded at Apapa depots, just as the influx of more fuel tankers has continued to cause traffic obstruction in Apapa axis despite the presence of the special taskforce comprising men of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA).

He lamented that due to the lack of the product at the depots in Apapa, tanker drivers numbering over 800 had remained at a spot for about two days now, worsening the growing static queue in Apapa area and environs.

He said, "The information reaching us is that there is no more product to dispense at the depots. The only depot still discharging is Capitol Oil which also in any moment will be out of stock.

"This can lead to another scarcity of the product in the next few days if the product is not available soonest.

"Some of the tanker drivers are also on hunger strike as most of them who arrived about five days ago waiting to load had been out of cash to feed and are now begging for food in Lagos as they did not expect to spend up to two days."

Aboyeji said the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) had not come out with the actual truth on the current situation of PMS.

"NNPC has been issuing out tickets to dealers to come to Lagos to load even with the fact that the product is not enough to go round. Now, without any parking space provided, our members are stranded and will have to wait for the next consignment to arrive and load before going back to their various destinations.

"That is why you see the large number still increasing day by day. If the product had been enough to load, all these tankers you are seeing would have reduced drastically," he said.

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