The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN, has blamed the war between Israel and Iran in the Middle East for the current fuel scarcity in the country.
This was stated by the association’s National Secretary, James Tor, who cited the Israel-Iran crisis as a major cause of the fuel scarcity.
Recall that in the last couple of days, long queues resurfaced in most fueling stations across the country. The situation also necessitated panic buying, and a surge in transport fares across the country.
However, speaking on the development during an interview on ARISE TV, Tor highlighted the Federal Government’s role in importing petroleum products. He said the Federal Government, after importing fuel, allocates them to stakeholders, including IPMAN, for distribution.
Tor noted that the current geopolitical war between Israel and Iran had compounded existing challenges. He stated that tension has led to a bottleneck in the supply chain.
The National Secretary, however, said that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited, NNPCL, had increased efforts to alleviate the situation. He said the NNPCL has opened up depots to ensure a steady supply of products.
Tor said, “The people that bring in the petroleum products into the country is the Federal Government. And when they bring in these products, they give us the stakeholders (which the IPMAN is one of) for distribution. So, it’s what we get that we can give out. If there are no products, then we can’t give out anything.
“But the Federal Government is doing much. Because even on Monday, my National President was explaining that the NNPCL had opened up some of their depots. So that we can have enough products supplied and distributed to the public.
“The President of IPMAN called me earlier and informed me on the increase in supply. So, what we are witnessing is just a breach of what is going on.
“And what is going on? You see, the crises that are going on in the Middle East. The crisis between Israel and Iran is also affecting the distribution of fuel. All these things, if you put them together, affect supply and distribution of petroleum products,” Tor added.
source: Daily Post
