Kerosene scarcity continues

Despite the stoppage of kerosene subsidy by the
Federal Government, the product is still not readily
available at filling stations, particularly those run by
independent and major oil marketers, who allege that
the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation lacks the
capacity to meet their demand for the commodity.
This is coming as senior officials of the Petroleum
Products Pricing Regulatory Agency argued that the
government decided to stop subsidising House Hold
Kerosene as well as Premium Motor Spirit, popularly
called petrol, in order to allow the marketers to import
the white products and sell at approved prices as
captured in the PPPRA pricing templates.
Findings by our correspondent on Tuesday in Abuja
showed that virtually all filling stations expect the
ones owned by the NNPC were not selling kerosene,
although they were dispensing petrol.
While the marketers blamed the seeming scarcity of
the product on the fact that they had yet to get
approval from the government to start importing the
commodity, officials at the headquarters of the NNPC
and the PPPRA stated that the deregulation of the
kerosene market was enough evidence to let the
marketers know that they were free to delve into the
trade.
About two weeks ago, the Federal Government
stopped subsidy on the product. Instead of the
regulated pump price of N50 per litre, the PPPRA
stated that the product would sell for N83 at NNPC
outlets.
Speaking on why the product was still not readily
available at filling stations, a major oil marketer said
prior to the removal of subsidy, only the NNPC had
approval to import the product, but was quick to state
that the corporation hardly met the demand by depots
not to talk of meeting the demands of consumers
across the country.