The annoying, ubiquitous, long petrol queues have made a return to Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital and most populous city.
Before now, the queues were the exclusive preserve of Abuja, the nation’s capital city.
The petrol queues in Abuja have been repeatedly blamed on flooding–because most trucks can’t access the city, with floods sacking conterminous roads emptying into Abuja.
There’s also an explanation for the petrol queues you are currently witnessing in Lagos.
The National Operations Controller of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Mr Mike Osatuyi, has attributed the fuel scarcity in Lagos to the unsteady supply of PMS in the past few days.
According to Osatuyi, as a result of the unsteady supply, depots prices have risen from N165 to N177 and N178 per litre in Apapa and its environs.
“The marketers will only sell what they buy. If the price of petrol increases, we add our transportation cost and other charges to the selling price,” he said.
He appealed to NNPC and NMDPRA to supply enough petrol across the country to ease scarcity.
‘There’s enough petrol stored somewhere, just be calm, Lagosians’
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has appealed to Nigerians not to engage in panic buying of petrol, saying it has enough in stock.
Mr Farouk Ahmed, the Chief Executive Officer, NMDPRA made the statement in Lagos on Tuesday, October 25, 2022.
Ahmed said he had checked with the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN) and Nigeria National Petroleum Company Ltd. (NNPC) on the level of fuel stock and confirmed that they had sufficient stock.
“l spoke with the MOMAN’s Executive Secretary this morning and he told me they have sufficient stock.
“I have directed them to start evacuating the product immediately to filling stations.
“NNPC has also confirmed sufficiency and they have commenced evacuation.
“From now till tomorrow, the situation will be back to normal.
“I don’t know what is happening but we are on top of the situation,” he said.