Oil marketers in Nigeria are facing difficulties purchasing petrol from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) after the state-owned company shut down its portal used by dealers to apply for and purchase the commodity.
According to petroleum marketers’ associations, dealers are still awaiting delivery of over 90 million litres of petrol valued at approximately 79 billion naira that they have already paid for through the NNPC portal. The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) estimates its members alone have over 2,000 outstanding orders of 45,000 litres each that have not been fulfilled.
NNPC spokesperson Olufemi Soneye confirmed the portal was shut down last month due to a significant backlog of orders. He said the closure was necessary to prevent NNPC from holding marketers’ funds for extended periods and that the portal will reopen once the backlog has been sufficiently reduced.
In the meantime, marketers have been forced to patronize private depot owners who sell petrol at a premium, leading to higher prices at filling stations owned by independent marketers compared to those operated by NNPC and major marketers. IPMAN’s National Vice President Hammed Fashola said in January that marketers sometimes wait 2-3 months to receive product after paying, with over 300 billion naira of their funds held by NNPC at any given time.
Oil marketers are now calling for a review of the petrol distribution system and the ability to purchase directly from other suppliers like Dangote to ensure more reliable supply and price parity across the country. The delays and shortages are exacerbating Nigeria’s ongoing struggles with fuel scarcity and price volatility.