after FG’s order, 400 filling stations shut down, Marketers lament

• Since 2019, much than 400 borderline colony filling stations tally by autarkic lipid marketers person remained unopen down
• This came arsenic the Federal Government issued an bid to forestall gasoline from being smuggled into neighbouring nations from Nigeria
• As a effect of the event's fiscal losses, lipid marketers protested the closing of these facilities

Legit.ng writer Zainab Iwayemi has 5-year-experience covering the Economy, Technology, and Capital Market.

Due to the Federal Government's bid to halt the smuggling of petrol retired of Nigeria to neighbouring countries, much than 400 autarkic lipid marketers' filling stations successful borderline villages person stayed closed since 2019.

Marketers insisted that the shutting down of petrol stations should beryllium canceled present that the policy's extremity has been met. Photo Credit: Contributor
Source: Getty Images

Oil marketers protested the closure of these facilities due to the fact that of the fiscal losses resulting from the event, adjacent though the Nigeria Customs Service announced connected Monday that the stations would stay closed.

Fuel shortage successful Niger Republic

Given the caller terrible petrol shortage successful the neighbouring Niger Republic, Customs emphasized that it would support up the presumption closures and the crackdown connected substance smugglers done Operation Whirlwind.

According to a PUNCH report, the Niger Republic's petrol shortage has caused the terms of the merchandise to summation to astir N8000 per litre, which whitethorn pb to the smuggling of the commodity from Nigeria to the neighboring country.

However, the Nigeria Customs Service, done its spokesperson, Abdullahi Maiwada, stated that the NCS would not accommodate smugglers, emphasizing that the bureau had been seizing amerciable petrol passim the nation's borders.

“You tin spot america everyplace seizing smuggled fuel. Be it successful Adamawa, Taraba, Kebbi, Seme, everywhere. I deliberation if determination is immoderate palmy operation, it is this Operation Whirlwind. We are truly connected them. We volition not let substance to get retired of Nigeria illegally.

Filling stations stay shut

On whether filling stations astir borderline towns are to stay shut, the Customs spokesperson replied, “Yes they stay shut!”

Marketers claimed that since erstwhile President Muhammadu Buhari prohibited the transportation of gasoline wrong 20 kilometers of the borderline successful 2019, their members who ain state stations successful these borderline areas had been retired of business.

Nigeria is bordered to the northbound by the Niger Republic, to the westbound by the Benin Republic, to the eastbound by Cameroon, and to the northbound by Chad.

Smugglers usage the amerciable ways successful each of these places to nonstop subsidized substance abroad. The Buhari medication believed that substance subsidies intended for Nigerians were being smuggled to neighboring nations, putting a important fiscal strain connected the country.

Even though the prohibition decreased substance smuggling, it wasn't until May 29, 2023, erstwhile President Bola Tinubu announced that "the substance subsidy is gone" that the neighboring countries genuinely felt the effects.

Countries similar Niger experienced terrible fuel shortages arsenic a effect of the Nigeria Customs Service Operation Whirlwind and the elimination of subsidies.

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria's National Publicity Secretary, Chinedu Ukadike, stated successful an interrogation that the National Security Adviser's bureau came up with the conception to halt economical sabotage, but that it is amerciable nether the Petroleum Industry Act.

He said the bureau of the NSA is reviewing the prohibition successful collaboration with the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority.

“Over 400 were unopen since the authorities banned substance proviso successful borderline communities. Since then, the owners of these filling stations person not been doing anything. But I besides cognize that the bureau of the NSA has been connected that matter. They are moving with the NMDPRA to unfastened the filling stations. They are readying to look astatine the matter.

Oil marketers protested the closure of filling stations. Photo Credit: Contributor
Source: Getty Images

But Ukadike insisted that the prohibition should beryllium abolished present that the policy's extremity has been met and the subsidy has been eliminated, peculiarly due to the fact that it violates the PIA.

“The shutting of petrol stations is not indispensable due to the fact that Nigerians are surviving astir the borderline areas. So, you can’t proceed to punish them conscionable due to the fact that immoderate radical are smuggling substance across the border. The authorities should empower the customs for due check, to guarantee that nary petroleum merchandise crosses the border,” helium stated.

Dangote refinery crashes petrol prices again

Legit.ng reported that by covertly reducing the PMS terms astatine its loading gantry connected Thursday, March 13, 2025, the Dangote Refinery intensified the conflict implicit gasoline prices. The monolithic refinery caused the terms of gasoline to plummet from N825 to N815 per liter.

The alteration occurred connected Thursday, March 13, 2025, erstwhile the works unveiled a caller pricing system.

As they person started to root items straight from the Dangote Refinery and debar backstage warehouses, marketers reportedly expressed optimism astatine the caller price.

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Source: Legit.ng