Fuel Hoarding: FG Threatens Withdrawal of Fuel Marketers' Licences

The Federal Government has threatened to withdraw the Licences of oil marketers involving in PMS hoarding.

This is coming as the queues for Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol, continued in Abuja, Niger, Nasarawa, Kaduna, and many other states.

Many vehicular queues were observed at various fuel stations across the Federal Capital Territory, with many stations shut due to a lack of supply.

In the Kado axis of Abuja Municipal Area Council, some fuel stations, including AA Rano, were selling petrol at N849/litre, while others remained shut.

A taxi driver at an NNPC station, simply identified as John said, “I’ve been experiencing a lot of challenges due to the scarcity.

“As a taxi driver, I’m struggling to make ends meet. I have to work one day just to get fuel and another day to do my actual job. It’s a constant struggle. We’re facing challenges just to survive, and it’s not giving us any joy. We’re struggling in our own country, and it’s frustrating.

“I implore the government to look into this issue and find a solution. We need a better way forward to bring joy and prosperity back to our lives.”

Reacting to the widespread queues across the country, the Federal Government through its Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, declared that filling stations that hoard petrol and those selling to black marketers in jerrycans would have their licences withdrawn.

Speaking during an inspection tour in Abuja, the Executive Director of Distribution Systems, Storage and Retailing Infrastructure, NMDPRA, Ogbugo Ukoha, warned filling stations to desist from compounding the fuel supply crisis in Nigeria.

He said retail petrol stations should stop encouraging the sale of products to black marketers who dispense the products in jerrycans.

Also on its X handle, the downstream regulator said it had declared war against the illegal sale of petroleum products.

“NMDPRA embarks on a war against the illegal sale of petroleum products, especially PMS in jerrycans. Filling stations are advised to desist from servicing illegal peddlers; failure to do so would result in the suspension of retail licences,” the agency stated.

 NNPC spokesperson, Olufemi Soneye, said the fuel scarcity witnessed in Abuja and Lagos was due to a hitch in the discharge operations of a couple of vessels.

“The NNPC Ltd wishes to state that the tightness in fuel supply and distribution witnessed in some parts of Lagos and the FCT is a result of a hitch in the discharge operations of a couple of vessels,” Soneye had explained