Mr Osatuyi said it had become necessary to inform the general public that the lingering scarcity of petrol was due to the unavailability of the product.
He alleged that the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Ltd., had stopped importing enough petrol to meet demand in the country.
Mr Osatuyi was emphatic that marketers could no longer sell at the regulated price because the unsteady supply of petrol had resulted in higher prices at the depots.
“We are experiencing scarcity because the product is not available.
“The price of a litre of petrol at private depots is currently between N205 and N210 as against N162.50.
“The Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Ltd., is the sole importer of refined petroleum products, which are not readily available to marketers,” he said.
Mr Osatuyi explained that his members bought petrol at over N200 per litre from private depots, making it impossible for them to sell at a regulated pump price.
“If fuel is there, why will we not sell, but there is no fuel. Our members are selling petrol between N230 and N240 per litre at filling stations,” he added.
Mr Osatuyi said the government was finding it difficult to continue subsidising the price of petrol and advised that the downstream of the petroleum sector be fully deregulated as a permanent solution to the problem.
He urged the government to allow the private sector to import petrol as is the case with aviation fuel, diesel and kerosene.
He urged the government to remove the monopoly of importation and pronounce total deregulation of the downstream sector.
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