Fuel Scarcity: Aiteo comes to the rescue

Leading indigenous energy giant, Aiteo is among companies that are working round the clock to see to it that the current fuel scarcity being experienced by Nigerians comes to an end.

The South-West Chairman of Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Mr Tayo Aboyeji, on Monday confirmed that massive loading of petrol was on-going at different depots in Lagos. To make the process of distribution quicker and easier, Aiteo’s deport has been chosen alongside two others to fast track the distribution process.

“As I am talking to you, our members are taking the product out of depots to filling stations across the country,” Aboyeji told journalists.

He also said that “Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) is now making use of Major Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN) tank farms to distribute petrol.

Aboyeji denied allegation of diversion of the product by his members, adding that such had not been reported to him.

“To the best of my knowledge no such cases have been reported to the union.

“It is not easy to divert the product because petroleum tankers loaded were being monitored to their destinations,” he said.

Today’s Echo investigations show that that as at early Monday morning petrol sold at well over the designated N145 per liter in many areas in Lagos. However, as the day progressed, prices reduced slowly, an indication that the work of Aiteo and other deports which were set to roll out products was moving the market.

Today’s Echo can also confirm that out side of Lagos prices also presented a mixed bag. In Ondo state, price per liter of petrol sold for at least N200, in the center of Benin, it was sold at between N200-250.

While in the core eastern part of Nigeria and especially in the Niger Delta, petrol was sold at N300 per litter. The implication on the cost of transportation was also phenomena as transport fares have more than doubled in most places.

A video recorded by Today’s Echo in the Ojuelegba area of Lagos shows filling station attendants cashing in on the situation.

However with the involvement of Aiteo and the other deports ( Folawiyo depot, and NIPCO depots ), the situation of fuel supply is expected to improve in the next few days.