Lai Mohammed’s silence worries Nigerians as fuel queues erupt in Lagos, others
As long queues of motorists and other users of fuel engulf every petrol station dispensing the product in any part of Lagos and Abuja throughout Monday, January 22, 2018, many Nigerians who spoke in anger to Business Hilights Correspondents are inquisitive about the whereabouts and observed silence of the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed since the onset of product scarcity during the yuletide and now.
Some of the stations that sold on Monday, dispensed above official rate of N145 even though the meters read N145.
Filling stations in Ikotun, Ejigbo, Isolo, Idimu, and majority along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway sold between N165 and N180 upon long queues.
Across Lagos State and Abuja, operators of black market were having a field day as they sold the product for as much as N300 per litre on Monday.
According to the Executive Secretary, Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association (DaPPMA), Mr. Olufemi Adewole, “If marketers have fuel, there won’t be queues. It simply means there is insufficient supply, and the NNPC still remains the supplier of last resort. So whatever they give to marketers, that is what marketers will dispense to the public”.
“If you go to some DaPPMA stations now, you will see the tankers of major marketers dispensing there because the NNPC has not given us enough products for the last 10 days. Many of our people did not get products, and in order to keep their stations busy, they resorted to buying from MOMAN (Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria) members.”
In his submission, he made it clear that “There was no way DAPPMA members could get enough supply from major marketers because they were supposed to be getting from the same source and not to buy from MOMAN”.
On the other hand, the National Controller, Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Mr. Mike Osatuyi, added that the cause of the current scarcity cannot be unconnected to the fact that the Federal Government’s policy of supplying directly to independent marketers, had not taken off yet”.
“When it takes off, IPMAN members will no more complain about buying at unofficial prices. This policy will enable IPMAN to identify our members who have good stations and can sell at the official price,” IPMAN boss averred.
