Nigeria: The queues for Premium Motor Spirit (PMS)
By Zuleihat Owuiye, Mamos Nigeria
The queues for Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol, worsened in Abuja and neighboring Nasarawa and Niger states on Thursday. The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) attributed the situation to logistics issues, but assured that it had been resolved. Petrol remained scarce in the Federal Capital Territory and some other states in the North, leading many filling stations to close, while those that remained open faced long queues of customers. Independent marketers increased the price of the product to an average of N700/litre, while NNPC retail outlets maintained the approved price of N617/litre. Independent marketers reported poor supply of PMS to Abuja through the Suleja Depot in Niger State, with fewer fuel trucks coming to the depot and other depots in the North. This scarcity and the resulting queues have left thousands of commuters stranded and led to a hike in transport fares. Mohammed Shuaibu, the Secretary of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Abuja-Suleja Branch, highlighted the low supply of PMS to the capital city and its environs, stating that only NNPC retail stations were selling at the approved price, while other stations had arbitrary prices. He urged the government to intervene and increase the supply of petrol through the NNPC to prevent further scarcity. In response,
the NNPC stated that the scarcity was due to logistics issues, which have now been resolved, and assured the public that there was no need for panic buying as there were sufficient petroleum products in the country. The NNPC is the sole importer of petrol in Nigeria.
