AGS NEWS – Many depots for Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) are currently dry, leading to fuel scarcity and long queues in Lagos, Ogun, Abuja, Niger, and other states.

Black marketers have taken advantage of the situation, selling petrol for as much as N1,300 to N1,500 per litre in parts of Lagos and Ogun.

Long queues started forming at fuel stations in Abuja and Lagos on Friday and have persisted.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) attributed the tight supply and distribution to a hitch in the discharge operations of several vessels.

Despite assurances from the NNPC that the issue would be resolved, the situation worsened over the weekend.

No loading of trucks occurred at Apapa depots on Sunday due to a lack of fuel.

Black marketers in Abuja sold petrol for N1,200 per litre, while filling stations sold it between N660 and N800 per litre. Oil marketers reported that most depots lacked stock.

The National Vice President of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Hammed Fashola, expressed hope that the situation would normalize within the week as NNPC pushed more products to the depots.

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However, he noted that marketers were still buying petrol at prices above N700 per litre from private depots.

The Executive Secretary of the Major Energies Marketers Association of Nigeria, Clement Isong, confirmed low stock due to challenges in bringing products into the country. Only the NNPC, the sole supplier, could determine when normalcy would be restored.

In Lagos and Ogun, many fuel stations remained closed, and black marketers sold petrol for N1,200 to N1,500 per litre.

Similar scenes were observed in Abuja, where black marketers sold fuel for N1,000 to N1,200 per litre.

In Benin City, Edo State, motorists queued for hours to purchase fuel at the NNPC mega station. In Gombe, fuel prices ranged from N850 to N1,000 at major stations, while black marketers sold for N1,250 per litre.

Motorists in Jos, Plateau State, and Minna, Niger State, also faced long queues and high prices, leading some to abandon their cars.

Queues resurfaced in Katsina and Taraba states, with motorists spending hours at filling stations without success. In Yola, Adamawa State, black marketers sold petrol for N1,000 to N1,200 per litre.

The ongoing fuel scarcity has exacerbated the economic hardship faced by many Nigerians, with drivers raising transport fares due to the high cost of petrol. The NNPC has yet to provide a clear timeline for resolving the supply issues.