Fuel queues have resurfaced in several parts of Lagos as scarcity of petroleum hit Nigeria’s commercial centre. 

Channels Television observed that in some areas of the state, motorists were spotted in the queues that snaked into the streets. The development caused gridlock around filling stations.

A litre of the product now sells for between N800-N1,000 in some filling stations, a move that has resulted in an increase in the cost of transportation

Some filling stations are not selling the product while black marketers have taken advantage of the situation to do brisk business.

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

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FILE PHOTO: A roadside fuel vendor popularly called ‘fuel tout’ sells fuel from jerrycans, sold at above official rate to motorists trying to avoid long queues of vehicles at filling stations following fuel shortages in Lagos, on March 3, 2022. PIUS UTOMI EKPEI / AFP

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

A file photo of LASTMA officials at work

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.