The fuel price jumps to N1,300 per litre as depots dry up, signaling severe supply issues and economic strain.
There is currently a shortage of Premium Motor Spirit, commonly referred to as petrol, which has caused fuel scarcity and long queues at gas stations in Lagos, Ogun, parts of Abuja, Niger and other states throughout the country.
According to OBASANJONEWS, the current situation has been exploited by black market vendors who are selling petrol for as much as N1,300 and N1,500 per litre in some areas of Lagos and Ogun states.
Since Friday, lengthy queues have formed at petrol stations in Abuja and Lagos and continue to exist.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited attributed the scarcity and lengthy queues experienced in some regions of the country to a technical glitch hindering the discharge activities of certain vessels on Saturday.
According to Olufemi Soneye, the Chief Corporate Communications Officer of NNPC Ltd., fuel supply and distribution challenges experienced in certain areas of Lagos and FCT stem from issues encountered during discharge operations of a few vessels.
The company stated that it is tirelessly collaborating with all involved parties to resolve the issue and bring operations back to their regular state.
Nonetheless, the state of affairs deteriorated despite NNPC’s promises as our correspondents’ nationwide investigations on Sunday revealed lengthy queues at numerous gas stations in major urban centers.
On Sunday in Abuja, it was noted that the limited number of fuel stations selling the product charged between N660/litre and N800/litre. However, due to scarcity, black market vendors inflated prices up to about N1,200/litre depending on location.
Oil marketers disclosed that they too were lining up for petrol loading while mentioning the insufficient stock in most depots.
One of our correspondents spoke with Hammed Fashola, the National Vice President of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria. According to him, marketers like himself were surprised and concerned about their inability to obtain fuel from depots as they had in the past. The cause was unknown until an announcement by NNPC on Saturday provided some answers. For now, Fashola suggests that it is best to trust NNPC’s assurance that steps will be taken towards resolving this issue.
Fashola stated that he expects everything to return to normal this week once products are delivered to the depots for marketers’ selection. The process involves picking up supplies from the depot and dispensing them at gas stations for public use. Currently, many of the depots lack stock which will also affect station supply and has resulted in members running out of inventory causing extensive queues as a result.
According to him, marketers were purchasing PMS from private depots at a cost higher than N700/litre.
The supply we are receiving from NNPC is insufficient for our population, and it’s not direct as expected. Consequently, we have to rely on third parties such as private depot owners for the procurement of petroleum products; unfortunately, their prices are exorbitant which further compounds the issue at hand.
The reason why independent marketers sell fuel for approximately N800 is due to the unresolved issue of direct supply. Until this problem is properly addressed, fuel scarcity will persist. It’s crucial that NNPC focuses on improving their distribution channel because there seems to be a fundamental flaw in it causing such issues.
The Executive Secretary of the Major Energies Marketers Association of Nigeria, Clement Isong, confirmed that there was a shortage in stock. However, he could not provide an estimate for when the situation would improve.
According to him, the reason for the low inventory is due to difficulties encountered while importing it from ships. The product has high demand, and everyone is waiting in line for NNPC’s supply as they are the only ones who can restore normalcy.
Until the time this report was filed, there had been no response from Olufemi Soneye, NNPC’s spokesperson regarding inquiries about when an improvement in fuel supply could be expected.
The price is N1,500 per litre in both Ogun and Lagos.
According to our correspondents who toured some regions of Lagos and Ogun states on Sunday, several fuel stations remained closed for business. The few establishments that opened were besieged by lengthy lines of vehicles and individuals plying their trade in jerrycans. Black market vendors took advantage of the situation as they sold petrol to impatient motorists at prices ranging from N1,200 to N1,500 per litre based on location.
Elijah Sunday, a bus driver at the Ketu motor garage in Lagos, expressed his frustration to one of our correspondents about the difficulty he is experiencing obtaining PMS.
He said that fuel has become scarce and costly in recent days, which compelled them to hike the rates.
Due to the fuel scarcity, a minibus driver operating on the Eko Hotel-CMS route in Lagos demanded N300 instead of N200. He refused to accept anything less.
PM Petroleum at Cele Bus Stop on the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway had observed fuel queues. Additionally, a lengthy line of vehicles was present at both North West filling station near CharlyBoy Bus Stop in Gbagada, Lagos and NNPC station located in Ogudu.
Petrocam, a fuel station located in Ajao Estate of Lagos sold petrol at the rate of N780 per litre.
It was noticed that there existed a lengthy queue at the NNPC station situated along Cele Expressway, where N568 per litre served as the pump price.
On Sunday, it was reported by one of our correspondents that in Ipokia, a border community within Ogun State, PMS was being sold at N1,200 per litre.
In Abuja’s residential areas, comparable situations occurred as illicit fuel vendors charged prices ranging from N1,000 to N1,200 per liter.
Residents in Idiroko, Ajegunle, Maun, Ijofin, Agosasa and Madoga local government areas of Ogun state have resorted to buying from black market fuel vendors due to the prohibition of fuel supply at border regions.
Sam Adegoke, a resident, said that due to being in the border areas there are only about four filling stations providing service for the entire local government area. Currently selling at N870/litre while black marketers charge an exorbitant rate of N1,200/liter; this is considered punishment for living on the border.
Several fuel stations located in the capital of Ogun State were non-operational and those that did open, took advantage of desperate customers who paid exorbitant prices up to N1,000 just to purchase their desired product.
Motorists in Benin City, the capital of Edo State, queued up for lengthy periods to buy fuel at both the NNPC mega station on Sapele Road and NIPCO located within the Jattu region near Auchi.
It is a frequent sight to witness lengthy lines at the NNPC station due to their offer of the lowest price for petrol in the state, which amounts to N591 per litre.
At other stations in Benin, the price of one liter of PMS ranged from N750 to N800.
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Black marketers from the north
In Gombe, the price of fuel ranged from N850 to N1,000 per litre at various gas stations. However, due to limited availability and frustration among motorists, black marketeers capitalized on the opportunity by selling for inflated prices of up to N1,250 per litre.
According to OBASANJONEWS, Usman Abubakar stated that one might perceive the quantity provided by roadside vendors (commonly known as black marketers) as costly. However, if an individual is in a difficult situation and cannot locate a fuel station with gasoline available, they will have no alternative but to purchase from these sellers at exorbitant rates.
The inadequate supply and expensive fuel in Jos, the capital of Plateau State, is causing worry for drivers who believe that this has exacerbated their financial difficulties.
In certain regions of Jos, illicit vendors charged N1,300 per litre.
After waiting in line for over four hours at the NNPC filling station on Dogon Karfi Road, Philip Gyang was unable to purchase any fuel.
Gyang expressed his disappointment, saying he had paid N1,300 per litre at the black market before opting to queue up at the NNPC outlet. Unfortunately, he was unable to purchase fuel from there.
Margaret John, a resident of Jos, stated that the shortage had led to a further hike in the state’s cost of living.
“Could you believe I spent N500 from Polo Roundabout to Anguldi on my way to church this Sunday? To add insult, when returning home the driver demanded that I pay N700. It is truly ridiculous and a reflection of our current economic hardships with fuel scarcity only worsening the situation.”
Due to the scarcity of fuel and exorbitant prices, a resident of Minna, which is the capital city of Niger State, has stated that they left their car at home.
Mutum, a civil servant in the state, confirmed that he owns a car but currently does not use it. He is uncertain about how much fuel to purchase for commuting and remarks that two or three litres of petrol will suffice if traveling on his motorcycle. Despite being difficult, this mode of transportation is more economical than driving his car. Mutum urges quick action from the government as Nigerian citizens are enduring hardship.
Furthermore, queues reappeared in the states of Katsina and Taraba.
On Sunday, there were long queues observed in different parts of Katsina and Jalingo – the capital city of Taraba, according to our correspondents.
Mallam Abdulrazakk, a driver, spent more than five hours without success at the Abukur NNPC mega station on the fringes of Katsina metropolis.
“I arrived before 8 am and it’s currently 1:40 pm, yet I’m still waiting in line for fuel on this Sunday. Only Allah knows when I’ll finally receive my turn. Patience is key.”
PMS was sold by black marketers at a price range of N1,000 to N1,200 in certain areas of Yola – the capital city of Adamawa State.
A commercial bus driver stated that they must increase the fare to sustain their business because at the black market, they purchase fuel for a price ranging from N1,000 to N1,200 per litre.
