By Mike Adeyemi
The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Kwara State branch has cautioned motorists in the state against panic buying of fuel, assuring that there is enough supply.
Speaking to National Pilot on Friday, in Ilorin, the state IPMAN Secretary, Oguntade Kayode, said, “there is no fuel scarcity, though there is short fall in supply of PMS at the Ilorin depot.
“Motorists shouldn’t engage in panic buying. There is availability of fuel at filing stations. The major problem is the issue of price.
“I want to let the people know that the system is already deregulated and we are in a competitive market where the forces of demand and supply dictates the pace. And that is why you see varying prices.
“If marketers increase their prices arbitrarily, they will surely lose their customers. So motorists should not indulge in panic buying. Marketers in the state have fuel to sell at affordable prices,” Oguntade further assured.
The IPMAN scribe who stated that though there hasn’t been supply of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) to the NNPC depot in Ilorin for the past two weeks, added that marketers have approached private depots for the products.
“For two weeks now, marketers have not been loading from Ilorin deport owing to non supply of fuel. Marketers are going out to buy PMS from private depots.
“It is the NNPC management that makes provision for fuel in Kwara, but we don’t know why that has stopped.
“In fact our people had paid draft to NNPC for the past one week now. This is not normal. It’s not the fault of the marketers, but the Nigeria National Petroleum Commission (NNPC).
“As business men, we had to travel outside the state to get supply from private depots at extra cost, which means the consumers would bear the pains.
“As I am talking to you now some private deports are selling to us at N160, N162 as landing cost from Lagos,” he further said.