These pictures were taken with my phone on Friday, July 1st, 2011. The location is Yola Town, Adamawa State.

More pictures.

More pictures.

Why are we Nigerians suffering in the midst of plenty? God to our rescue.

Kero at all NNPC stations are sold at N50, naturally, one would go there since other stations sell higher.
In Enugu I bought N75 a litre @Oando Zik Avenue, there was no queue. You get that kinda queue in NNPC.

Nigerians will continue to suffer in the midst of plenty as long as the government continue to dictate prices of kerosene. Whenever prices of anything is fixed, there is bound to be shortages!

The government should start fixing food prices again and see if there won't be food shortages. They did it in the seventies and that was exactly what happened. Food was plentiful but scarce!

Odunnu:

Kero at all NNPC stations are sold at N50, naturally, one would go there since other stations sell higher.
In Enugu I bought N75 a litre @Oando Zik Avenue, there was no queue. You get that kinda queue in NNPC. 

Yes, only NNPC stations sells at 50 naira but, where are the products to sell? If I had the opportunity to even buy at 110 naira, I will simply do, instead of allowing my wife to stay all day at NNPC station in the name of buying Kerosene.

Kerosene scarcity: Reps summon Diezani, Oniwon


Last updated: 07/06/2011

ABUJA - The House of Representatives yesterday summoned Mrs. Diezani Allison-Madueke, Minister of Petroleum Resources and Mr. Austine Oniwon, Group Managing Director of NNPC over persistent kerosene scarcity in the country.

The duo are expected to appear before the House at plenary tomorrow.

It also urged the Federal Government to as a matter of urgency rehabilitate all refineries in the country.

This was sequel to a motion co-sponsored by Reps Abiodun Balogun (ACN-Ogun) and Raphael Igbokwe (PDP-Imo) which was adopted by the House.

Leading the debate, Balogun said that it was appalling for Nigerians to buy kerosene, which was one of the main sources of energy in Nigeria at exorbitant price.

Balogun noted that the product had become so scarce that even when it was available, the common man could no longer afford it.

He said that the scarcity of the product would impact negatively on the environment as the users would resort to using firewood.

The lawmaker maintained that those in charge of the product kept passing the buck while scarcity of the product continued.

He advised the House to dialogue with independent marketers on the possible way to make the product available to the public.

“I don’t think we can continue like this, we should take up the challenge with independent marketers to dialogue with the National Assembly,’’he said.

Rep. Raphael Igbokwe (PDP-Imo) said that it was unfortunate that Nigeria as the sixth largest producer of oil in the world was experiencing scarcity of petroleum product.

Igbokwe suggested that the Group Managing Director of the NNPC be invited by the House to explain the reasons behind the scarcity of the product.

He said that there had been some makeshift arrangement to make kerosene available at some filling stations across the country.

Rep. Kareem Sunday (PDP-Kogi) said that kerosene was imported into the country at the rate of N48 and sold for N150 to the public.

He said that there was a need for the House to dialogue with stakeholders in the industry.

Rep. Garba Datti (CPC-Kaduna) attributed the persistent scarcity of the product to the taking over of the management of the product from the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR).

He suggested that the management of the product should be given back to the DPR in order to check the scarcity of the product.

Source: http://www.nigerianobservernews.com/06072011/news/news%205.html

Kerosene loading drops

Written by Mohammed Shosanya, Lagos Wednesday, 06 July 2011 00:00


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Average loading of kerosene from Lagos depot and its environs has dropped to 30 trucks daily from 50 trucks recorded few weeks ago, Chairman, Western zone of National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Alhaji Tokunbo Korodo has said.
The development has resulted in the unavailability of the product in some of the filling stations in Lagos metropolis visited by our correspondent.

Korodo said the development is attributed to distribution problem associated with the product.

In a telephone chat with our correspondent yesterday, Korodo said that the practice where government distributes kerosene through MOMAN alone is unfair.

According o him, the development caused few stations that have kerosene to sell to customers between N91 and N95 as against the regulated N50 price.

According to him, in order to get product to the nooks and cranny of the country, the government should expand the distribution channels of kerosene.

He explained that the channels should be in three folds involving MOMAN, IPMAN and depot owners in the country.

He also advised that the Petroleum Product Marketing Company (PPMC) depots nationwide should be revived to complement distribution of the product in Nigeria.

Meanwhile, the product is still scarce in some of the filling stations visited by our correspondent.

Some of the residents complained that they hardly find the product at filling stations but purchase same through third party for domestic use.

“I have not been able to buy kerosene from any filling station around here in the past few weeks despite the noise about its availability.

But I have been buying it from a dealer around. The price has slightly reduced unlike some two weeks ago,” a housewife, Madam Ilesanmi Aduke said.
Source: http://www.dailytrust.dailytrust.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22412:kerosene-loading-drops&catid=3:business&Itemid=3

How can there be Kerosene for the common man under this situation?

Monday, 27 June 2011 12:24
Consumers groan as Kerosene scarcity persists
Written by Abdulwasiu Hassan
Included media:Video file(s)


The scarcity of Kerosene has persisted despite repeated promises by the NNPC that it would be brought to an end.
Daily Trust Online monitored some filling stations in the Central Area of the Federal Capital Territory, and reports that the only filling station that has been selling the product consistently is the Zone 7 NNPC Mega station.



Even the station’s transaction is less than perfect as desperate customers intermittently defy the police and the station’s officials in their quest for the commodity.

Watch video of consumers battling to get Kerosene at NNPC Mega filliing station, Zone 7, Abuja


Consumers who claimed to have been at the filling station for hours lamented the unending scarcity calling on Government to see to its end.

Meanwhile the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has said that About 60,000 metric tons or 3,500 trucks of Kerosene are required by the Independent Marketers to ensure total elimination of Kerosene scarcity in the country.

Danladi Pasali, Special Adviser on Media to IPMAN’s President said that the 10,000 metric tons given to them by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) would not go anywhere in eliminating the scarcity.

According to Pasali, IPMAN has over 2 million outlets nationwide with over 10,000 active members “which means a section of Lagos alone can finish the said 10,000 MT which is about 540 trucks”.

Watch interview with consumers trying to get Kerosene in Abuja here:



NNPC recently engaged the major marketers and independent marketers to assist them in distributing the product nationwide.

He said the Association is grateful to the NNPC’s intervention but, there is room for improvement.

On its part, the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) has said that in order to prevent hoarding of kerosene by unscrupulous marketers, the department will undertake checks on depots nationwide.

The agency had earlier promised to inspect depots located in Apapa area of Lagos and its environs.


According to Mr Gbenga Koku, DPR’s Controller of Operations, “We are going to embark on full scale inspection of all the depots in Lagos metropolis to checkmate those who are in the habit of hoarding the product.

“Any depot found hoarding the product will be forced to sell it immediately at depot price of N40.90 per litre, irrespective of the personalities behind it,’’ he said.

The NNPC had tried various interventions in its bid to assuage the unmet demands of the consumers. In the early days of June, it had distributed over 30,000 Metric Tons of Kerosene to major marketers.

However, for the consumers, there seems to be no end yet in sight to their hardship.

Visit here and watch the video interviews. http://www.dailytrust.dailytrust.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=490:consumers-groan-as-kerosene-scarcity-persists&Itemid=178

Kerosine saga: Marketer takes delivery under questionable circumstance
on JULY 11, 2011 · in NEWS

BY Hector Igbikiowubo
LAGOS — IN what appears to further fuel the vicious cycle of kerosine scarcity and allegations of subversion, a major marketer of petroleum products has taken delivery of 16,500 metric tons of aviation fuel under inexplicable circumstances from a foreign vessel.

Investigations revealed that the vessel had delivered 11,000 metric tons of DPK, dual purpose kerosene ordered by the Pipelines and Products Marketing Company, PPMC, to the Major Marketers Association of Nigeria, MOMAN and sailed on June 16, 2011.

Curiously, the same vessel tendered to deliver 16,500 metric tons of aviation fuel to the marketer on June 22, 2011 and berthed on July 6, 2011 at the NOJ in Lagos.

A maritime worker, who spoke with Vanguard revealed that when a vessel leaves Western Europe for Nigeria, it takes a minimum of 15 days to get to Nigeria, begging the question “what time the vessel departed Europe and what time it took to get back to Nigeria?”



Even if the vessel obtained aviation fuel from another source on the West African coast, the tender submitted barely four days after delivering DPK raises more questions than answers, given the turn-around time for vessels entering and leaving Nigerian ports and harbours.

Kerosine sells for N320 per litre in Kano

In a related development, investigations have revealed that kerosine sells for N320 per litre in Kano and adjourning metropolises. Checks in Kaduna, Jigawa, Sokoto, Zamfara, Yobe, Katsina, Yobe, Borno and other parts of the North revealed that kerosine sells at varying prices, ranging from N230 to N320 per litre, when available.

Markets for DPK in Nigeria

Investigations revealed that there are basically five markets for DPK in Nigeria, it is obtained at subsidised price and sold as HHK at three times the price to hapless consumers; it is blended with diesel to increase the volume (also known as ‘rice and beans’) and then sold at deregulated pump price; it is sold as aviation fuel; it is smuggled across the border and sold at over N200 per litre and finally, it is recycled and presented as imported cargo for the purposes of claiming subsidy from government.

The most popular market for DPK in Nigeria is that of HHK but even though petroleum marketers obtain DPK at subsidised ex-depot price of N40:90 from the NNPC they openly retail it at over 300 per cent the value and the government agencies charged with ensuring compliance with the stipulated regulated pump price of N50 per litre appears helpless and unable to implement the policy.

Since government deregulated the pump price of diesel, AGO, petroleum marketers have been at liberty to import whatever volume they can and retail at whatever prices to recover their cost. However, checks revealed that in order to make cut throat profits, petroleum markets have resorted to blending the volume of diesel they import with Kerosene.

This way, they succeed in increasing the total volume of diesel which they then sell to the hapless consumers at deregulated prices.

Under the Olusegun Obasanjo administration, marketers successfully championed the deregulation of aviation fuel and control of the sector. Investigations revealed that since then, about the NNPC has stayed out of the supply and distribution of the product. Current Nigerian aviation industry aviation fuel consumption is estimated at 2.5 million litres per day.

However, the airlines have since the deregulation of the sector accumulated a debt profile of N5 billion, making it near impossible for the banks to continue to fund importation of the product. Investigations revealed that petroleum product marketers, who now insist on being paid cash on delivery, divert volumes of DPK obtained from the NNPC/PPMC to service the needs of the aviation industry. This situation accounts for delays and cancellation of domestic flights.

It is common knowledge that petroleum products are usually moved across the border for greater profit, however, at no time has the differential between the price at which it is obtained from the NNPC depot (N40:90k per litre) and the price it is sold across the border (over N200 per litre) provided greater incentive for smugglers.

Further investigations revealed that the recycling market for DPK is also fuelled by the differential between the NNPC ex-depot price and the current pricing template of the Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulatory Agency, PPPRA.

According to the current pricing template, imported HHK should retail at N156.56 per litre. Investigations revealed that petroleum marketers store cargo obtained from the NNPC, only to smuggle same volume to Cotonou, dispose of it to a ready buyer who then resells it to the NNPC as imported cargo.

Source: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/07/kerosine-saga-marketer-takes-delivery-under-questionable-circumstance/

As long as we continue telling ourselves lies this problem will continue.