Queues resurface as fuel scarcity hits Lagos filling stations

The scarcity of petroleum has triggered fuel queues in various parts of Lagos State, where motorists were seen lining up at filling stations, causing traffic jams in some areas.

The cost of the product has surged to between N800-N1,000 per litre in certain stations, leading to increased transportation expenses.

While some stations are not selling fuel, black marketeers are capitalizing on the situation for profitable gains.

The situation is not limited to Lagos. Some states in the northern region have experienced persistent scarcity of the product.

FG Reads Riot Act

But in a bid to tackle the situation, the Federal Government through the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) threatened to withdraw licenses of filling stations hoarding fuel.

“NMDPRA embarks on a war against the illegal sale of petroleum products, especially PMS in jerrycans. Filling stations are advised to desist from servicing illegal peddlers; failure to do so would result in the suspension of retail licences,” the agency said in a tweet on its handle.

The Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) last month blamed the scarcity of petroleum on a hitch in the discharge operations of a couple of vessels.

“The NNPC Ltd wishes to state that the tightness in fuel supply and distribution witnessed in some parts of Lagos and the FCT is a result of a hitch in the discharge operations of a couple of vessels,” the NNPCL spokesman Olufemi Soneye said.

But he assured Nigerians that the NNPCL is working to resolve the situation.

“Similarly, the development was compounded by consequential flooding of truck routes, which has constrained the movement of PMS from the coastal corridors to the Federal Capital, Abuja,” he said.

LASTMA Deploys More Officers

Meanwhile, the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has deployed its officers to monitor traffic around filling stations.

LASTMA’s Director of Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department Adebayo Taofiq quoted the agency’s general manager Olalekan Bakare-Oki as warning motorists against obstructing the flow of traffic.

He said the deployment became necessary due to reports of long queues at filling stations caused by motorists who park indiscriminately, thus blocking roads.

“We want our roads to be free-flowing; fuel queues should not become a burden for other road users in Lagos,” the LASTMA chief said.