It was gathered that most of the depots in Apapa, Lagos may likely run out of fuel stock if the ongoing strike by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria is allowed to exceed Wednesday.
The members of the workers of the Petroleum Equalisation Fund Board have not been consistent in the depot as a result it has affected the loading of fuel by marketers to other states because of the strike on Thursday.
The PEF personnel mostly ensure that marketers truck’s are certified so that they can get bridging funds for fuel being transported to distant parts of the country.
Inorder to resolve the current issue, the Federal Government has decided to have a talk with the leadership of PENGASSAN today (Monday).
According to 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.
He urged the government should intervene with immediate effect. The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation advised the members of the public not to panic about the situation.
