Petroleum marketers have raised concerns over the closure of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) portal used for purchasing Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol, warning that the situation may lead to another round of fuel scarcity across the country, Okay.ng reports.
In a statement on Wednesday, Chinedu Ukadike, spokesperson for the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), disclosed that the shutdown has left over 2,000 pending tickets for the purchase of 45,000 liters of petrol each. This has made it impossible for dealers to apply for the commodity.
“We have more than 2,000 tickets for 45,000 liters (of petrol). That is 45,000 multiplied by 2,000; you can now know the number of million liters it will be,” Ukadike explained, estimating the volume at approximately 90 million liters.
He also noted that a 45,000-litre truckload of petrol currently costs around ₦39.5 million, totaling ₦79 billion when multiplied by 2,000.
Ukadike expressed concern that the portal’s closure could result in widespread fuel scarcity if the situation persists.
Responding to the concerns, Olufemi Soneye, spokesperson for NNPCL, acknowledged the backlog of pending transactions but explained that the closure was a temporary measure to prevent the company from holding marketers’ funds for too long.
Soneye assured that the portal would be reopened once the backlog is addressed, though he did not specify a date for its reopening.
“We are working to address the backlog as soon as possible,” Soneye said, adding that the closure aims to prevent prolonged holding of funds from marketers.
This development comes at a time when Nigerians are already grappling with high energy costs, with petrol prices ranging between ₦950 and ₦1,100 per liter following a price increase announced by NNPCL in September 2024 after lifting petrol from Dangote Refinery.
