Petroleum marketers on Wednesday explained that the long fuel queues being experienced in Lagos, Abuja, and some parts of the country were caused by the distribution of some adulterated products which has now been removed from the market.
President of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Chinedu Okoronkwo, stated this during an interview on Channels Television breakfast programme, Sunrise Daily.
He, however, said that the queues may persist due to the ripple effect of the initial distribution of the product.
He said, “Off-spec petroleum was brought and people began to see some of the damages and the relevant authorities have come out plainly to explain what happened.
“In the system, any destruction of maybe two or three days can escalate the issue for up to one week. I can tell you that the product has been removed from the market but the ripples caused are still there. I believe before the end of this week, everything should normalise.
Stressing that retailers have removed the contaminated petrol, he said, “The new products are coming, you can see that some stations have started selling but the problem caused is humongous, that is why we are suffering the effect.”
Also speaking during the programme, the National President of the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN), Billy Gillis-Harry, explained that the effect of the adulterated fuel in circulation was mostly felt by the retailers.
“It’s quite a big problem. The retail outlets felt it the most. It’s not something that we know before, we got to know about it after the fault,” he said.
According to Gillis-Harry, the product when tested showed it is petrol but when exposed, it started having difficulties and it led to a public outcry.
He said efforts were ongoing and the retailers are working with the authorities to ensure that the compromised product is no longer in circulation.
