Fuel scarcity: 200 truckload of fuel coming, says IPMAN

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) yesterday allayed fears by Nigerians over the seeming scarcity of fuel.

Speaking to The Nation yesterday, the IPMAN Chairman, Northern Nigeria branch, Alhaji Bashir Danmalam, said about 200 trucks loaded with fuel from Calabar were being expected in Abuja and northern parts of the country.

“The trucks are expected to come through Ikom, Ogoja, Vandeikya and Katsina-Ala, to Lafiya and Abuja where the commodity will be supplied in filling stations,” Danmalam said.

He called on Nigerians to exercise patience, explaining that efforts were being made to address the scarcity.

He said: “NNPC, in collaboration with IPMAN, are making very serious efforts to ensure adequate supply and distribution of the product, and very soon, the scarcity will be over; there is enough fuel in stock.”

Danmalan pointed out that the scarcity had been occasioned by flooding, due to torrential downpours that led to the destruction of some major roads in parts of the country, especially in the north.

He explained that, following the flooding, most of the major roads being used by the marketers have gone bad, compelling truck drivers to spend between eight to nine days before reaching their destinations.

The affected roads include Bida-Lemu-Zungeru road, Minna-Tagina( 6km from Minna Makonkele) and Tegina-Mokwa road and Mokwa-Makera to Minna (Bakane) Lambata-Lapai-Agaie-Bida Roads as well as Koton Karfe road, which is the worst, IPMAN said.

The IPMAN chairman commended the Managing Director of Pipelines and Product Marketing Company (PPMC), Alhaji Isyaku Abdullahi, for his pledge to support marketers with diesel to reduce the hardship caused by the high cost of the product.

He said the NNPC had also mobilised Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) personnel to clear the affected roads for smooth transportation of the commodity to northern parts of the country.

NNPC said it has mobilised Dantata & Sawoe to start work on the damaged portions of the affected roads to enable the trucks transport the product with ease and without delays.

It was gathered that NNPC has also directed the CCC Chinese company that is working on the affected roads to relocate to the damaged portions for repair.