Reports coming in from DPR surveillance teams in the field indicate that the recent shortage of premium motor spirit observed in the country has abated, as fuel supply from the depots to retail outlets improved tremendously in the last 48 hours.

In the heat of the crisis, monitoring teams were dispatched by the Director of Petroleum Resources, Mr. George Osahon, to inspect filling stations in Lagos and across the country to ensure that marketers and operators were not exploiting the situation to increase the discomfort of Nigerians by engaging in product diversion, hoarding, overpricing and sundry sharp practices.

A summary of the reports from the field indicates that even though most of the visited retail outlets were running low on supply, this was primarily occasioned by panic buying by the public who had observed a slight lull in product supply due to weekend downtime in lifting by truckers. Even then, the situation was rapidly changing for the better as some of the visited outlets were beginning to receive stock later on Monday and throughout Tuesday this week, as assured by the Federal Government.

A few of the these stations that had fuel but were reluctant to sell due to the prevailing circumstances were compelled by the DPR monitoring teams to immediately open up their facilities to the public and dispense PMS at the regulated pump price of Eighty-seven Naira.

Currently, the supply situation has improved tremendously as business gradually returns to normal with the queues disappearing. At the going rate, complete normalcy is expected to return nationwide by this weekend.