Long queues for petrol persist in Abuja, Lagos, Ogun

FUEL scarcity has persisted with attendant long queues in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Lagos and Ogun states. 

Commuters in parts of the FCT on Tuesday faced a tough time getting to their destinations as gridlock grounded vehicles as a result of the persisting petroleum scarcity. 

Roads were blocked by vehicles queuing up around fuel stations struggling to obtain petrol, which has been short in supply in recent days in the territory. 

Commuters from Karshi, Orozo, Jikwoyi axes were completely cut off from the city centre as the fuel queues in the areas spilt to both sides of the Karshi-Nyanya expressway, stopping vehicular traffic. Many of the commuters were left stranded at various bus stops, while some were forced to return home or abandon their vehicles on the road to hop on commercial motorcycles to continue on their journeys. 

Nigerian Tribune findings within Abuja showed that a 10-litre gallon of petrol at black market was sold at N4,000 while fuel stations maintained N165/ litre. 

In Lagos and Ogun suburbs, despite the assurance by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) and Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) to restore normalcy to the system, scarcity of petrol continued unabated. Besides, a lot of passengers were stranded at various bus stops on Tuesday. 

In some of the locations visited, only a few petrol stations sold the product to motorists at the official rate of N162 to N165 per litre, after which the station attendants must have collected an extra N500 from each car or bus owner. 

In some filling stations, the product was illegally sold for N250 per litre, while many stations did not open to members of the public, claiming to have run out of the product. In other stations where the product was available, there were long queues of motorists who were desperate to get the product at all cost. 

It was also discovered that some of the filling stations’ attendants preferred to sell the product in jerry cans due to the extra levy, ranging between N100 and N500 they collected on each jerry can, depending on sizes. 

While speaking with Nigerian Tribune on Tuesday, spokesperson of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Mr Chinedu Ukadike, said the situation may yet persist for another three weeks. 

He said, “Some of the inland depots of NNPC and some private depots do not have products that can be put to use, but because of this contaminated fuel, there is a little breach in the supply chain. The product that NNPC has is not enough for the sufficiency period. 

“So I want to say that this issue of fuel scarcity will just last between two to three weeks.” 

Ukadike said the two to three weeks scarcity projection is to allow discharge of the 300 million litres ordered by the NNPC, even as plans are underway to blend the contaminated 100 million litres. 

He also accused private depots owners of profiteering from the situation as the ex-depot price now goes for between N159 and N160 per litre, as against the initial N142 to N143. On his part, president, Petroleum Products Retail Outlets owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN), Dr Billy Harry, disclosed that some fuel stations still have bad fuel in stock until the NNPC decides on the mode of evacuation. 

“That is why we are asking for compensation,” he said.