The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has hinted that petrol price in the coming weeks may hit or exceed N180 per litre.
Disclosing this development, the National Public Relations Officer, IPMAN, Chief Ukadike Chinedu said already some filling stations in and outside Abuja and Lagos, have commenced selling their petrol for N180 per litre due to hike in the commodity’s ex-depot price by private depot owners.
Confirming that most private depot owners recently raised the cost of petrol from the approved N142-N145 per litre price to between N162-N170 per litre, Chinedu explained that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation’s (NNPC) ineptitude to supply its inland depots had warranted the high cost of products at private tank farms.
His words: “Petrol is being sold in private tank farms (depots) at N167 to N170 per litre. In fact, a friend contacted me to say that some tank farm owners were selling at N180 per litre in Port Harcourt.
“So I want to tell you that fuel will be available but it will be expensive in many more areas in the coming weeks if they (depot owners) continue like this.
“What is required is that the NNPC should supply these products to their inland depots to ensure that facilities such as Warri and Port Harcourt refineries and some depots have products so that marketers can take fuel at the approved N142-N145 per litre price.
“The National President of IPMAN, Debo Ahmed, has directed that all marketers should run 24 hours service and he appealed to security agencies to provide adequate security.
“So that is what we need now and I also want to let you know that the price of petrol in some filling stations is above N165 per litre as approved by the government. And this is because they are not getting the product at the approved NNPC price.”
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