Lagos residents groan as petroleum tanker drivers embark on strike leading to complete fuel scarcity

Firstclass newsline learnt that residents of Lagos, who use petrol to
power their generators, have cried out about the difficulties they are
encountering while struggling to get the product.
Firstclass newsline crew, who monitored the situation in different
parts of the state on Thursday, reported that the number of filling
stations that had the product to sell was reducing daily, while the
few ones that had petrol in stock were capitalising on the scarcity to
make excessive profits at the expense of consumers.
Many filling stations have stopped selling the product on the excuse
that they have no stock.
It was observed that the few stations that had the product in stock
had very long queues of motorists and other consumers, who had to wait
for hours to buy the product, thus compounding the already chaotic
traffic situation in the metropolis.
As a result of this, most of the filling stations were selling petrol
for as high as N150 per litre instead of the official price of N87 per
litre.
Most of the filling stations had adjusted their pumps to reflect the
new prices they fixed.
The strike by petroleum tanker drivers, who are members of the Nigeria
Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, has grounded product
loading at fuel depots across the country, thereby worsening the
already bad petrol supply situation.
Findings by a source revealed that the PTD had also succeeded in
setting up a surveillance team to enforce its no loading directive to
all members and to punish anyone caught flouting the directive.
The strike by the tanker drivers, according to market sources, is the
major reason why most filling stations are without products.
Firstclass newsline also gathered that some depots went ahead to load
products in disobedience to the PTD directive on Monday.
This, according to some marketers, informed the setting up of the
surveillance team by the drivers' union.
Two marketers, who spoke to firstclass newsline crew in separate
interviews, confirmed that petrol supply situation to filling stations
from the depots had almost come to a halt.
One of the marketers said, "There is no improvement on the situation.
Nothing is happening at the depots and nobody is saying anything to
bring sanity to the mess in the system.
"The surveillance team of the PTD arm of NUPENG is going round the
depots to ensure that nobody is loading."
It was also gathered that some marketers had moved to Abuja to seek
solutions to the lingering problem.
An industry source told firstclass newsline in confidence, "Some
marketers are currently in Abuja waiting for the possibility of a
meeting with key officials of the current government and the incoming
government."
When a source contacted the Executive Secretary, Major Oil Marketers
Association of Nigeria, Mr. Thomas Olawore, on the telephone, he
admitted to being in Abuja but would not disclose his mission to the
seat of power.
"Nobody is talking to us about anything. It is true that I am in Abuja
now, but I will soon be on my way back to Lagos," he said.
But the Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Nigerian
National Petroleum Corporation, Mr. Ohi Alegbe, insisted in a
telephone interview with our correspondent that 1.2 billion litres of
petrol had been pushed into the market from its last consignment.
He said with the current daily demand for petrol and the stock of the
product with the corporation, there was enough petrol to service the
country for another 20 days.
Alegbe said, "All the petrol the whole country has been consuming for
a while now came from the NNPC. We have the product that can last for
another 20 days pending when new consignments come in.
"I think whatever questions Nigerians have should be directed to the
independent petroleum marketers and the major oil Markets; not us."
Alegbe, who declined to make a categorical statement on the
possibility of the marketers hoarding products, said it was crucial
that Nigerians inquired from them the whereabouts of the product the
NNPC had pumped into the system.
The instruction from the PTD to its members on Monday read,
"Comrades/unit chairmen/executives you are directed to suspend all
loading activities in all the depots as from Monday 18th May, 2015.
"There will be severe sanctions for any chairman/others that did not comply."
Firstclass newsline had gathered that the tanker drivers were advised
to take the action by the marketers, who were owed subsidy arrears of
over N200bn by the Federal Government, in order to force the
government to liquidate the debt.
The marketers are worried that they may lose money if the current
government does not take full responsibility to liquidate the debt.
Despite the initial payment of N154bn by the Federal Government to the
marketers, who in turn made a part payment to the transporters, the
scarcity of petrol has persisted, grounding economic and social
activities in the country.
Firstclassnewsline.net