Marketers Report Delays In Petrol Supply Due To NNPC Portal Shutdown

Marketers Report Delays In Petrol Supply Due To NNPC Portal Shutdown....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Oil marketers have reported that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) portal used for purchasing petrol has been closed to dealers, preventing them from placing orders for the commodity. The marketers are still awaiting over 90 million litres of petrol from the state-owned company, valued at approximately N79 billion…….CONTINUE READING 

Last month, the NNPC confirmed the shutdown of its purchasing portal in response to complaints from marketers about their inability to order petrol. NNPC spokesperson Olufemi Soneye explained that the closure was necessary to manage a significant backlog of orders.

Soneye stated, “The closure is intended to prevent us from holding marketers’ funds for an extended period. We have a significant backlog to address.” He assured marketers that the portal would reopen once the backlog was reduced, emphasizing that the NNPC was actively working to resolve the issue.

Marketers indicated that NNPC is expediting efforts to clear the backlog. Although NNPC did not disclose the total value of these backlogs, independent marketers reported having over 2,000 tickets pending clearance. Chinedu Ukadike, the National Publicity Secretary of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, stated that they are still waiting for the portal to reopen.

Ukadike noted, “They are on it. Our marketers are still loading petrol from the NNPC. I can’t confirm the price now because the portal is still shut down. We have more than 2,000 tickets for 45,000 litres of petrol. When you multiply 45,000 by 2,000, you can estimate the total volume.” He added that a truckload of petrol costs around N39.5 million, totaling about N79 billion for all pending orders.

The Petroleum Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) also confirmed that its members are unable to access the NNPC purchasing portal. PETROAN President Billy Gillis-Harry commented, “The portal shutdown affects us too; we are all buying from NNPC.”

Due to the portal’s closure, marketers have turned to private depot owners who sell petrol at a premium. This shift has contributed to higher prices at their filling stations compared to those owned by the NNPC and major marketers.

Marketers typically bid for petrol through the NNPC portal, making payments through the same channel while often waiting months for delivery. Some independent marketers have reported paying for petrol but not receiving their orders for three months or longer.

In January, IPMAN’s National Vice President, Hammed Fashola, raised similar concerns, which were denied by Soneye. Fashola urged the Federal Government to revise the current distribution pattern to prioritize IPMAN members, stating, “We buy products from NNPC on a cash-and-carry basis. We don’t enjoy any credit facility with the NNPC. There are times when we pay for products and don’t receive them for two or three months. Our money is effectively tied up with the NNPC.”

Currently, marketers are seeking to purchase petrol directly from Dangote to ensure price parity.

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