Oil Marketers Say Petrol Stations Forced to Lay Off Staff Due to Low Sales
- The low sales caused by high fuel prices is now causing petrol retail outlets to lay off some staff
- PETROAN says there is no more fuel scarcity in Nigeria, but Nigerians cannot afford the product
- According to PETROAN, many filling stations across the country now struggle to sell up to 3000 litres a day, compared to previous years
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Legit.ng journalist Ruth Okwumbu-Imafidon has over a decade of experience in business reporting across digital and mainstream media.
Some petrol retail outlets are now being forced to lay off staff due to low sales across the country.
This is according to Dr. Joseph Obele, the National Public Relations Officer of the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN).
Dr Obele, who was speaking on a radio interview in Abuja, noted that whereas retail outlets used to sell up to 15,000 litres daily a couple of years back, many of them now struggle to sell up to 3,000 litres of fuel.
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He observed that there is no longer an issue of fuel scarcity in Nigeria, but the product is now expensive, leading to low sales.
He observed that it has become a thing of the past to see people drive into the filling stations and request a full tank.
He complained;
“All we hear now is, ‘Sell me 3 litres, 5 litres, and the likes. Fuel is extremely expensive, and many people simply cannot afford it. This is also affecting us, the retail outlet owners. A lot of us are even laying off staff as we speak”.
Nigeria can now export petrol
According to The Tribune, PETROAN PRO noted that all the facts suggest that fuel prices will crash further still, as the product is now abundant in supply.
He noted that the statistics from the country's petroleum industry regulators even show that Nigeria has enough fuel to export to other countries now.
Contrary to speculations that Nigeria consumed as much as 70 and 80 million litres of fuel, the report from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) shows a current daily consumption between 40 and 45 million litres of fuel.
Obele observed that with Dangote Refinery producing up to 35 million litres daily, and other refineries like BUA Refinery, Kaduna Refinery, Warri Refinery and Port Harcourt Refinery, there would be enough to go round and even export.
PETROAN does not manipulate fuel prices
Dr. Obele added that retailers have no role in fixing fuel prices. The landing cost of the product is now publicly known, he said, and this means that Nigerians know the fair pump prices to expect from retailers.
The public nature of the fuel prices from the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), has now led to an open price war of some sorts leading to reduced prices across the country.
He said;
“This is the first time in Nigeria’s history that our buying rates are made known to the general public. The public is aware of how much we are buying from Dangote Refinery and the NNPCL. The retail outlets have no role to play in the recent selling price of PMS...”
Obele further assured that PETROAN would never be found manipulating fuel prices to extort Nigerians. He said this in response to allegations that some retailers were manipulating prices above N1000/l.
Poor petrol supply from Port Harcourt refinery
In related news, Legit.ng reported that the bad state of the east-west road was affecting the petrol supply from the Port Harcourt refinery to other states.
According to PETROAN, this lag affected at least 60 filling stations that were expected to get their supply from that refinery via that route.
They decried the slow pace of work on the Eleme section of the road and called on the government to help speed up the work.
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Source: Legit.ng
