The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN, has warned that the ongoing scarcity of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol, may persist for an additional two weeks. Chinedu Ukadike, the Public Relations Officer of IPMAN, made this announcement on Sunday in response to the widespread shortage of the product affecting numerous states.
Ukadike informed Vanguard that petrol is currently unavailable in the country, attributing the challenge to difficulties in sourcing it due to maintenance activities at several refineries in Europe. He explained that any disruption in the international supply chain impacts domestic supply, as Nigeria heavily relies on imports for petroleum products.
Moreover, Ukadike relayed assurances from the NNPC Group CEO regarding improvements in the supply chain with the arrival of their vessels. He emphasized the time it takes to restore normalcy after a disruption in the 30-day supply sufficiency, estimating it to be two to three months.
Importation bottlenecks and the pace of license renewal by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) were also cited by Ukadike as contributing factors to the acute scarcity of petrol.
