Nigerians once again battle fuel queues as shortage and increased prices have returned to the country. The shortage once again has affected businesses across the country who depend on fuel for their operations. The shortage has been attributed to logistics and the flooding which occurred in Lagos and has prevented tankers from transporting fuel from the port to other places.
The shortage has naturally sparked widespread concern and frustration among both consumers and business owners.
In major cities like Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt, long queues have formed at petrol stations. Commuters are also facing extended wait times, as transport costs have surged due to the scarcity. This has resulted in increased fares for public transportation and inflated delivery charges for goods and services.
The shortage has created a boom for “black marketers” who are leveraging the situation to sell petrol for as high as N1000 per litre. In a correspondence with Ahmed, a motor user, he said
“I woke up very early to stay on the queue to buy fuel. Those guys selling at black market price by the road are selling for 1000 naira per litre. How much fuel can I buy at that price?”
According to Business Day report, some Nigerians also complained about the fuel situation:
“I have been out of business for two days because I have not been able to buy petrol,” Uche Adams, a Lagos-based trader said on Monday.
“I have only operated for five hours today due to fuel scarcity. I can’t buy at any filling station and black marketers are selling higher than N1,000 per litre,” said Adamu Abdullahi, who operates a barber’s shop at Kubwa, Abuja.
Reports also show that private depot owners in Lagos have hiked petrol price from N630 to N720 per litre as of the time of filing this report. They previously sold between N630 to N650 per litre while the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) provided petrol to major marketers at a price below or around N600 per litre.
However, findings show that some filling stations are now selling at a higher rate, as high as N900 per litre. For example, Umaru A. filling station in Lokogoma sold fuel at N800 to the long queue of customers weekend, which included both private vehicles, taxis, ‘Keke Marwa’ drivers, okada riders and individuals with jerry cans.
Meanwhile, the state-owned oil company has attributed the recent fuel scarcity and surge in prices to a disruption of ship-to-ship (STS) transfer of petrol, between mother vessels and daughter vessels resulting from a recent thunderstorm.
Olufemi Sonenye, chief corporate communications officer, said, “The adverse weather condition has also affected berthing at jetties, truck load-outs and transportation of products to filling stations, disrupting station supply logistics.”
He said that due to the flammability of petroleum products and the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) regulations, loading petrol during rainstorms and lightning is not permitted.
The situation has been further complicated by flooding on truck routes, hindering the movement of petrol from coastal areas to the FCT.
Sonenye added that the NNPC is collaborating with relevant stakeholders to address these logistics challenges and restore the smooth supply of petrol to affected regions.
“Loading has already resumed in areas where these issues have lessened, and it is anticipated that the situation will continue to improve in the coming days until full normalcy is achieved,” he said.
He then urged motorists to refrain from panic buying and hoarding of petroleum products.
