Strike: Fuel Depots May Run Dry By Wednesday

Fuel Depots May Run Dry By Wednesday.

by 'Femi Asu

Should the ongoing strike embarked upon by the Petroleum

and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria be

allowed to linger beyond Wednesday, most depots in

Apapa, Lagos, will run out of fuel stock, our correspondent

has learnt.

Following the commencement of the strike on Thursday,

loading at Apapa depots, where many marketers get

petroleum products to other states, has been reduced due

to the absence of workers of the Petroleum Equalisation

Fund Board.

The PEF personnel usually certify marketers' trucks to

enable them to get bridging funds for fuel being transported

to distant parts of the country.

It was gathered that marketers were only loading to Lagos

and other South-West states that required no payment of

bridging fund by the PEF.

The Federal Government had said it would meet with the

leadership of PENGASSAN today (Monday) in a bid to

resolve the problem.

A source, who is an official of an independent marketing

company in Lagos, said, "Terminal owners can only load

what is in their tanks, but they cannot receive any product

now from vessels. If they finish what is in their tanks now

and bring in any vessel, the Department of Petroleum

Resources is not going to certify it for discharge. They do a

lot of tests on any product that comes to Apapa.

"That is how it is going to affect the supply in Lagos if the

strike lingers on. Depots in Apapa should finish their stock

on or before Wednesday. I don't see any depot that will still

have stock after Wednesday in Apapa."

The Chairman, Trade Union Congress, Rivers State chapter,

Mr. Chika Onuegbu, said fuel distribution was the smallest

bit of what would go wrong as a result of the PENGASSAN

strike.

Onuegbu said, "I think the main impact will be this week

when production facilities, export terminals and gas supply

to power plants will be shut down. It will affect the

government's revenue significantly. I pray we don't get to

that extent, because the economy is already in a bad shape.

"That is why the government should act fast and engage the

union to resolve the issues."

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation on Friday

cautioned members of the public against embarking on any

form of panic purchase of petroleum products in

anticipation of scarcity due to the ongoing strike.