Nigerians have been urged to refrain from panic purchase of Premium Motor Spirit popularly known as petrol.

Major petroleum marketers made this known while assuring the public that there is more than enough petrol supply across the country.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Major Energy Marketers Association of Nigeria, Clement Isong, maintained that sufficient stock is available in the tanks of the Dangote Refinery and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.

Isong added that there is a reliable forecast of future supplies for all petroleum products.

Reacting to perceived tightening in the petroleum supply market, the major energy marketers dismissed speculation that there would be shortage of fuel, affirming to the general public and all stakeholders that there is substantial stocks of products in their tanks.

He added that they have access to considerable stocks in the tanks of their suppliers, including Dangote Refinery and NNPC Trading Limited, along with a reliable forecast of future supplies for all petroleum products.

Isong noted that deregulation enables diligent marketers to plan and secure their supply needs in advance, helping prevent shortages.

Consequently, he stated that MEMAN does not anticipate any petrol scarcity in the immediate or near future.

Encouraging Nigerians to refrain from panic buying, the MEMAN CEO assured them that member companies will continue to optimise their supply and logistics to ensure availability and affordability.

Following the NNPC’s increase in petrol prices across the country on Tuesday, long queues were observed at its retail outlets in Lagos and Abuja on Wednesday.

The national oil firm raised the retail price of petrol in Abuja from N1,030 to N1,060 per litre, while in Lagos, the price increased from N998 to N1,025 per litre, sparking widespread criticism from the Organised Private Sector, Civil Society Organisations, and the general public.

Nigerians have faced recurring fuel crises since May this year for various reasons despite government promises to resolve the situation.

Oil prices rose more than 2 percent on Wednesday after data showed crude and inventories fell unexpectedly last week and reports that the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies, OPEC+ may delay a planned oil output increase.

Brent crude futures settled up $1.43, or 2.01 percent, at $72.55 a barrel and the US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose $1.4, or 2.08 percent to $68.61.

The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported an inventory draw of a modest half a million barrels for the week to October 25.

The change in oil stocks compared with a build of 5.5 million barrels for the previous week, pressured oil prices at the time.

The American Petroleum Institute (API), meanwhile, on Tuesday reported estimated inventory draws across crude and fuels, helping prices move higher for a time. However, they remained subdued due to expectations of a ceasefire in the Middle East.

The country’s petrol stocks shed 2.7 million barrels in the week to October 25, with production at an average of 9.7 million barrels daily. These figures compared with an inventory build of 900,000 barrels for the previous week, when production stood at an average of 10 million barrels daily.

Pressure also came as the market learned that OPEC+ could delay a planned oil production increase in December by a month or more because of concern over soft oil demand and rising supply.

Traders are betting that OPEC+ will hold off on the planned increase, deferring to Saudi Arabia’s top-down approach since the country acts as the de facto leader of the group and has always stepped in to help the alliance when it is underperforming.

The group is scheduled to raise output by 180,000 barrels per day in December. OPEC+ has cut output by 5.86 million barrels per day, equivalent to about 5.7 per cent of global oil demand.

OPEC Monthly Oil Market Report downgraded demand growth for 2024 to 1.9 million barrels per day while demand forecasts for 2025 slipped another 102,000 barrels per day to 1.6 million barrels per day.

China, meanwhile, ramped up imports by 16 per cent month over month in August, but the rise still falls short of August 2023 levels, keeping a lid on demand and by extension, the market.

OPEC+ is scheduled to meet on December 1 to decide its next policy steps.