By: felix ikpotor
Petroleum Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROOAN) says the flood situation in the country is responsible for the fuel scarcity being experienced in parts of the country as many highways have been overtaken by waters.
National President of PETROOAN, Dr. Billy Gillis Harry while confirming the situation urged users of petroleum products to avoid panic buying as their us no scarcity of the product but transportation challenges caused by the flood.
“It’s a natural operation. The flood has cut off so many tankers because most this trucks are playing the Bayelsa road to other states so because it’s a natural disaster, we can’t predict when it would end but we will certainly put out our best effort to ensure that the products is available.
“I have reached out to my zonal chairmen and all state chairmen especially in Rivers State and they are doing everything round the clock to make sure that we are able to find a way to feed Port Harcourt with petroleum products,” he stated.
He said the association is trying to make sure that petroleum products don’t jump high
“Our members are working to make sure that prices of petroleum products don’t go high even though it’s going to be difficult as our people who bought products high maybe tempted to sell it high. However, our members have been able to appeal to tanker drivers who have products and may not be able to travel to elsewhere to give us the products with the knowledge of NNPC to ensure that we ameliorate the situation,’ he said.
Also, chairman of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria IPMAN, Dr. Joseph Obele has attributed the current scarcity of petroleum products being experienced in major Nigerian cities of Port Harcourt, Lagos, Abuja and other states of the federation to the flood pandemic ravaging parts of the country.
The IPMAN chairman said the flood has made it difficult for products to be transported by their members as most of their routes are the mostly affected.
While assuring the availability of enough products in the depots, he advised citizens against panic buying as efforts are being made to transport products to every part of the country via vessels and trucking via other alternative routes.
In sympathizing with members of the flooded communities, the African Action Congress AAC gubernatorial candidate in the 2023 general elections asked them to make good use of their PVCs to solve the perennial flooding problem.
