The supply of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) popularly known as petrol in Abuja, Lagos, Oyo, and Ogun states deteriorated on Tuesday due to limited stocks, owing mostly to the rejection of new supplies from tainted petroleum importers into the country.
Africa Today News, New York gathered that the situation was exceptionally terrible in several parts of Lagos, particularly on the island, where traffic jams halted vehicular movement due to long petrol queues.
Despite claims of substandard fuel causing engine damage, transportation businesses across the country indicated none of their trucks has been compromised.
The majority of the transporters who spoke said, however, that the detrimental impacts could occur in the future.
The sole negative impact, according to Mr. Jude Nneji, Managing Director of ABC Transport, is that the few petrol stations with quality fuel are hoarding the product, promoting unavailability.
‘So far, none of our vehicles has shown signs of the negative impact of bad fuel, but we are watching if such could come up in the next few days,’ he added.
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Another notable transporter had the same thoughts as the ABC official, expressing his hope that his company would not be affected at this tough period.
Mr. Nneji, on the other hand, stated that the country’s transportation companies are being threatened by emerging diesel prices. He stated that a litre of diesel currently costs N400, which has a severe influence on his company’s operations.
‘You know that diesel, unlike petrol, is deregulated and the high price of crude oil in the international market presently is influencing the price in the local market here. He, however, noted that the technical team in his company is working on the impact of sulphur in petrol in any eventualities in future’.
However, in a viral video, a retail supplier in Lagos’ Satellite Town claimed that the contaminated fuel damaged six of his pumps as well as several automobiles that purchased the product from his station.
The dealer, who is a Mobil franchisee, said he obtained the product from Salonia Depot and appealed to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPC, to investigate the dilemma immediately.
Further investigation revealed that, although the government, as the sole importer of the goods, has placed new orders, the commodity will take a long time to arrive In the country.
As a result, industry leaders predicted that restoring stability would take time because the distribution and eradication of defective petrol culminated in a widespread interruption of operations.
AFRICA TODAY NEWS, NEW YORK