The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has assured that fuel scarcity currently being experienced in parts of the country would soon end.

Flooding and impassable roads have prevented haulage trucks from distributing petroleum products to particularly parts of the north in the last two weeks leading to the scarcity.

“Following the flooding, major roads being used by marketers have gone bad, making truck drivers to spend up to nine days, especially around Koton Karfe in Kogi before reaching their destinations.

“Roads that have also gone bad in Niger are Bida-Lemu-Zungeru, Minna-Tagina-Makonkele, Tegina-Mokwa-Makera-Minna and Lambata-Lapai-Agaie-Bida,” IPMAN stated in Kano.

Its chairman (Northern Zone), Bashir Danmalam, stated that 200 trucks of petroleum products were already heading to Abuja and other parts from Calabar.

He explained that the trucks would go through Ikom and Ogoja in Cross River, to Katsina-Ala and Vandeikya in Benue and to Lafia, where the floods receded, then to Abuja.

He commended the Pipelines and Products Marketing Company for pledging to support haulage firms with diesel to cushion the cost and to facilitate fuel distribution.

He noted that the Federal Road Safety Corps was also doubling efforts to clear the roads of broken-down vehicles to ensure smooth passage of the fuel-laden trucks leaving Calabar.

Mr Danmalam stated also that the haulage firms had received assurances that contractors had been mobilised to attend to the damaged portions of the roads to ease passage.

(NAN)