Fuel Scarcity: Reps Reveal Available Petrol Nigerians Can Manage In The Next 30 Days

The House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Resources, Downstream and Midstream has informed the public that the country currently possesses more than 1.5 billion litres of petrol in its storage facilities, which can sustain the nation for 30 days.

Naija News reports that fuel scarcity has resurfaced across Nigerian states, with the product being sold between ₦700 and ₦1000 in different cities.

In light of this, the committee urges Nigerians to remain composed and refrain from engaging in panic buying.

Furthermore, the committee has revealed its intention to take action against individuals who hoard and sabotage the distribution of petrol.

Based on their investigations, the committee has confirmed the availability of petrol products that have already arrived in the country. However, the supply and distribution to marketers were hindered by transportation challenges faced by vessels responsible for transporting the products from offshore to onshore.

The committee assures that these logistical challenges have been resolved and the distribution of products has commenced. As a result, the queues at petrol stations will dissipate in a matter of days. Therefore, it is crucial to avoid panic buying as the product is readily available.

The downstream and midstream committees led by Ikenga Ugochinyere and Odianosen Okojie addressed newsmen in Abuja yesterday.

They said: “The purpose of this press briefing is to give an update on the scarcity of petrol products and what the committees are doing to ensure that the right things are done as the representatives of the people.

“It is so painful that Nigerians have been subjected to serious hardship and pains as a result of the scarcity of petroleum products in the past few days.

“This development has led us as representatives of the people, to engage with the regulators of the relevant sectors with a view to finding out the cause(s) of this scarcity and providing solutions to same.

“We have, in the last few days, reached out to the stakeholders in the distribution value chain, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, NMDPRA, the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria, PETROAN, and the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners, NARTO, and engaged extensively with them, with a view to ascertaining the cause of the resurgence of the fuel queues across the country.”