(Ecofin Agency) - The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has halted the supply of petrol to its depots in an effort to sidestep losses that arises due to incessant damages to pipelines which delivers products to different facilities.NNPC has also begun selling petrol in bulk to financially buoyant oil marketers instead of selling to depots where independent dealers can get their petrol supply.

The attack on facilities by militants has affected the oil and gas sector and this might result in the scarcity of petrol in some places across the country.According to an Executive member of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Dibu Aderigbigbe, filling stations owned by members of the association were being deprived of the product due to the insufficiency of petrol at the NNPC depots.

“We are not being supplied products. There is no product in any NNPC depot for they are afraid of pumping petrol because of issues of vandalism. They don’t want to waste the product, because they know they have gone commercial and are aware that they can’t report any loss to the government. Some of our people have paid the difference, but there are no products in the depots. For instance, the Ibadan and Mosimi depots are empty, despite the fact that marketers have paid the difference for products in those depots. The excuse they (NNPC) give is that they don’t have products. But we know that they store their products in marine tanks and now sell to people who are ready to buy in bulk,” he told Punch News.

Anita Fatunji