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Nigeria's NNPC says its dealing with financial stress over expensive fuel imports

Nigeria's stateoil company NNPC on Sunday stated it is dealing with financial pressure making it not able to import petrol into Africa's most populated country, that has seen weekslong fuel deficiency throughout its retail stations.

The news comes after Nigeria National Petroleum Business Limited (NNPC), the nation's sole importer of refined products, in August revealed record profits for 2023 but alerted that it was covering for shortfalls in federal government's petrol import expense.

Reuters reported early July that the NNPC's financial obligation to oil traders had actually exceeded $6 billion, doubling since early April, as the business had a hard time to cover the gap in between set pump costs and global fuel costs. The NNPC decreased to comment at that time.

It later on blamed functional drawbacks for the long fuel queues.

This financial strain has actually placed considerable pressure on the business and presents a threat to the sustainability of fuel supply, NNPC's representative Olufemi Soneye said in a declaration late on Sunday.

President Bola Tinubu scrapped a costly however popular subsidy on gas last year when he took workplace, to cut federal government expense. But he reestablished aid partly after inflation escalated, worsening an expense of living crisis and stoking stress among the population.

The IMF has stated fuel aids might cost Nigeria as much as 3%. of GDP this year as the increases in pump prices have not kept. up with their dollar cost.

The West African country anticipates to likely spend 5.4. trillion naira ($ 3.7 billion) this year - 50% more than in 2023. - to keep gas rates repaired, while obtaining to plug spaces in. its spending plan, a draft file had actually said in June.

We are actively working together with relevant federal government. firms and other stakeholders to maintain a constant supply. of petroleum items nationwide, the NNPC said.

(source: Reuters)