Petroleum Marketers Raise Concerns Over NNPCL Portal Shutdown, Warn of Possible Fuel Shortage

Petroleum marketers have voiced concerns about the shutdown of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) portal, which is used to purchase Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol. This closure has left dealers unable to register or make purchases of the commodity.

The spokesperson for the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Chinedu Ukadike, revealed the situation in a statement on Wednesday.

Ukadike highlighted that over 2,000 tickets are still pending for marketers seeking to purchase 45,000 litres of petrol each. He warned that this backlog could lead to another nationwide fuel shortage.

“I can’t confirm the price now because the portal is still shut down,” Ukadike explained. “We have more than 2,000 tickets for 45,000 litres of petrol. That is 45,000 multiplied by 2,000. You can now calculate the total number of million litres it amounts to. This is just an estimate; I don’t work with NNPCL, and I don’t have access to their system,” he added.

Ukadike also provided an estimate, stating that 45,000 litres of PMS costs around N39.5 million. Multiplied by 2,000, this equals a staggering N79 billion worth of petrol yet to be purchased.

Reacting to the situation, Olufemi Soneye, the spokesperson for NNPCL, confirmed that the corporation is currently dealing with a substantial backlog. He explained that the portal was shut down to avoid holding marketers' funds for too long.

Soneye assured that the portal would be reopened shortly, although he did not provide a specific date. “We have a significant backlog to address. The closure is intended to prevent us from holding marketers’ funds for an extended period,” Soneye stated. “It will be reopened once the backlog has been sufficiently reduced. We are working to address it as soon as possible.”

Meanwhile, Nigerians are grappling with high energy costs. In September 2024, NNPCL began lifting fuel from Dangote Refinery and announced a nationwide price increase for petrol. Currently, Nigerians are paying between N950 and N1,100 per litre for gasoline across the country.