The Department of State Services (DSS) has given the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited and oil marketers a 48-hour ultimatum to make Premium Motor Spirit known as petrol available for Nigerians.
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DSS Spokesman, Peter Afunanya announced the directive while briefing journalists at the headquarters of the secret police in Abuja after over three hours closed-door meeting with stakeholders in the petroleum sector.
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He said failure to comply, the DSS will activate its operations across the country.
According to Afunanya, the challenge of fuel scarcity has assumed a dimension that is detrimental to the security of the country. He said during the meeting, the NNPC agreed that there is enough product that will serve Nigerians during and after the Yuletide season.
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The stakeholders at the meeting include the NNPC, Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN), Depots and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN), and the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN). Others are the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and Petroleum Tanker Driver (PTD).
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For weeks, vehicle owners especially in Lagos and Abuja have had a tough time getting petrol from filling stations. Whilst many outlets are closed, the few ones that are open sell the indispensable commodity for as high as N250 per litre from the uniform price of N169/litre.
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The shortage of supply has led to long, grueling snake-like queues at the few open filling stations as motorists and business owners jostle to buy fuel while others resort to black market. The situation has also worsen traffic on major roads as vehicle owners block at least one lane to join queues to filling stations.
