Commuters left stranded as fuel scarcity hit Lagos, Ogun, Abuja

Long queues are beginning to emerge at filling stations in different parts of the country occasioned by petrol scarcity as motorists scramble to fill their vehicles with PMS.

According to PUNCH, this has led to a price hike as black marketers jostle to fill the void, with a litre of fuel selling as high as N300-N400 in many parts of the country.

Many motorists were forced to patronise them as the unpalatable alternative was to wait for hours in filling stations.

Amid long queues and waiting hours in Lagos, some filling stations sold a litre of the Premium Motor Spirit at N200/litre as against the approved price of N180-N185/litre.

On Monday and Tuesday, long queues were witnessed at filling stations around Ikotun, Egbeda and Ojodu Berger in Lagos.

A businessman, Kayode Oloriegbe, said he could not wait to buy from filling stations, but had to patronise a black marketer who sold at N300/litre.

“I was lucky to buy a 10-litre gallon at N3,500. Others said they bought at higher prices from the black marketers,” he said.

A tricyclist, Ade, who operates between Ago Palace Way and Second Rainbow Bus Stop at Amuwo-Odofin, said, “Black marketers sell five litres at N1,700 at Ago Palace during the day and N2500 at night. This is a normal thing. Whenever we are approaching the end of the year, we mostly witness fuel scarcity.”

Around the Isolo, Okota and Ilasa axis in Lagos PUNCH reports that only one out of six petrol stations around that axis sold petrol to motorists and other consumers. Others said they did not have petrol.

Two NNPC filling stations before Sule Abore Street in Ojodu were shut.

The attendants at the filling stations told The Punch that they had run out of fuel. They, however, said they were expecting to get the supply before the end of yesterday (Tuesday).

At Bova’s filling station, a long queue caused traffic gridlock along Ogba road as of the time of filing this report.

Similarly, a long queue was sighted at Rainoil filling at Berger Roundabout, with some drivers alleging that they were charged an extra N300 by fuel attendants. The attendants declined to speak with our correspondent.

At the Eterna Oil filling station located before Afeez Bus Stop, Ojodu Berger, there was also a long queue.

One of the fuel attendants said the trucks that were supposed to supply them with fuel did not turn up.