The National Secretary of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), James Tor, has blamed the ongoing fuel scarcity crisis gripping Nigeria to the geopolitical tensions between Israel and Iran.
In an interview on a TV programme, Tor emphasized the significant role of the federal government in importing and allocating petroleum products to stakeholders, including IPMAN, for distribution across the country.
He highlighted the recent surge in panic buying, long queues at filling stations, and increased transport fares as direct consequences of the scarcity.
Tor acknowledged the efforts of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in attempting to mitigate the situation by opening up depots to ensure a steady supply of products.
Despite these efforts, the impact of the Israel-Iran crisis on the global oil market has created a bottleneck in the supply chain, further complicating the distribution of fuel in Nigeria.
He noted, “the people that bring in the petroleum products into the country is the federal government. And when they bring in these products, they give us the stakeholders (which the IPMAN is one of) for distribution. So it’s what we get that we can give out. If there are no products, then we can’t give out anything.
“But the federal government is doing much. Because even on Monday, my National President was explaining that the NNPC had opened up some of their depots so we can have enough products supplied and distributed to the public.
“The president of IPMAN called me earlier and informed me on the increase in supply. So what we are witnessing is just a breach of what is going on.
“And what is going on? You see, the crises that are going on in the Middle East. The crisis between Israel and Iran is also affecting the distribution of fuel. All these things if you put them together, affect supply and distribution of petroleum products.”
While Tor expressed optimism about the increased supply following NNPC’s actions, he emphasized the need for continued vigilance and proactive measures to address the underlying challenges posed by both domestic and international factors
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