Fuel scarcity re-surfaces in Lagos, long queues at filling stations

For about three weeks, Abuja residents have had difficulty commuting due to fuel scarcity as commuters pay twice what they used to pay to get to work.  It appears the queues have now hit Nigeria’s commercial capital, Lagos.

As queues reappear in several areas of Nigeria’s economic hub on Tuesday, many commuters were left stuck at various bus stations throughout Lagos State.

The queues appear to have gotten worse in various parts of Lagos, spreading from Lekki, Lagos Island to mainland Lagos, including the commercial capital of Ikeja.

Authorities are yet to explain the reasons for the fuel scarcity and queues as of when this article was written. However, the situation appears to be getting worse.

According to a motorist, “Most of the filling stations lock up their gates and refuse to sell to us, we have to fight, struggle and plead before we buy. The last time I bought fuel, I was at the station for over a day. Sometimes, the fuel stations bring in products and sell them but for only a specified number of hours, after that, they close shop.”

Funke Oladapo a resident in Egbeda area of Lagos said she found it difficult to get to work on Tuesday, October 25, due to fuel scarcity and the hike in public transportation fares.

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According to her, bus drivers were complaining about their inability to buy fuel, which caused a stall in commuting in some parts of Lagos.

According to the National Operations Controller of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Mike Osatuyi, prices at depots in Apapa and the surrounding area have increased from N165 to N177 and N178 per litre as a result of the erratic supply.

“The marketers will only sell what they buy. If the price of petrol increases, we add our transportation cost and other charges to the selling price,” he said.

He appealed to the NNPC and the NMDPRA to supply enough petrol across the country to ease scarcity.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority has urged Nigerians not to panic buy premium motor spirit, also known as petrol, claiming that there is enough at hand.

This was made known by Farouk Ahmed, the Chief Executive Officer of the NMDPRA, to the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos on Tuesday.

Ahmed claimed to have certified that there was enough fuel on hand after checking with the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Ltd. and the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria.

“I spoke with the MOMAN’S Executive Secretary this morning and he told me they have sufficient stock. I have directed them to start evacuating the product immediately to filling stations.

“I don’t know what is happening but we are on top of the situation,” he said.

Ahmed reassured the people that there was enough petrol and urged them not to panic-buy while efforts were being made to address a shortage at particular filling stations in Lagos and the surrounding area.