Marketers Struggle as NNPC Portal Closure delays Fuel Orders
Marketers have reported that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) has blocked access to its portal for purchasing petrol, preventing dealers from applying for the product. They noted that they are still expecting over 90 million litres of petrol from the state-owned company, which is worth approximately N79 billion.
In response to marketers’ grievances about their inability to order petrol, the NNPC confirmed the closure of its purchasing portal to our correspondent last month, citing the reasons for this decision. The spokesperson of NNPC, Olufemi Soneye, explained that the portal was shut down due to a considerable backlog. Soneye explained that the shutdown was necessary to prevent the NNPC from holding onto marketers’ capital for an extended period.
He stated, “We have a considerable backlog to clear. The closure is meant to avoid retaining marketers’ funds for too long.”
However, He guaranteed marketers that the portal would be reopened once the backlog had been reduced. He said “it will be reopened once the backlog has been sufficiently reduced. We are working to address it as soon as possible.”
Oil marketers certify that the NNPC is taking necessary steps on the backlog. NNPC did not expose the worth of the backlog, and some marketers claim they have 2,000 tickets yet to be cleared by them.
The National Publicity Secretary of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Chinedu Ukadike, said in an interview that the association is still waiting for the portal’s opening. He stated
“They are on it; our marketers are still loading petrol from the NNPC. I can’t confirm the price now because the portal is still shut down.
He continued, “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 litres it will be. This is just an estimate; you know I don’t work with NNPC and I don’t know what is on their system.”
He revealed that a 45,000-litre truck of PMS costs approximately N39.5 million, which amounts to N79 billion when multiplied by 2,000.
The President of the Petroleum Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN), Billy Gillis-Harry, also confirmed that its members are unable to access the NNPC purchasing portal. He shared this information during a phone conversation with a news correspondent. He noted, “ The portal shutdown affects us too; we are all buying from NNPC.”
Meanwhile, the marketers explained that they have been sourcing petrol from private depot owners, who charge a premium. According to them, this is the reason why the product is more expensive at their filling stations compared to those owned by the NNPC and major marketers.
The news correspondent learned that marketers typically place bids for PMS via the NNPC portal. They mentioned that payments are also processed through this platform, but the marketers often wait for months to receive the product. Independent marketers informed The PUNCH that they had paid for petrol but had not received the supply even after three months
The National Vice President of IPMAN, Hammed Fashola, made a similar claim in a January interview with Punch, which was later refuted by Soneye. Fashola urged the Federal Government to reassess the existing distribution system and prioritise IPMAN members.
Fashola said, “We buy products from NNPC cash and carry. We don’t enjoy any credit facility with the NNPC. There are times when we pay for products, and you don’t get the products for two or three months. You have your money in the coffers of NNPC, which means they are trading with our money.
“If I am not exaggerating, we should be talking of over N300bn when you consider the number of marketers all over Nigeria. Our money is always there, trapped, while we keep struggling to get fuel. The three days will turn into months if they don’t have products or they are out of stock; you have to wait, and your money will be there.”
Currently, the marketers have expressed their intention to purchase petrol directly from Dangote to maintain price parity.
READ: The Nigerian government unveils plans to reduce food imports
Content Credit| Igbakuma Rita Doom
Picture Credit | https://businessday.ng/news/article/queues-resurface-in-parts-of-nigeria-on-petrol-scarcity/
https://www.arise.tv/nnpc-announces-femi-soneye-as-new-spokesman/
