*Residents and motorists, especially in Lagos and Abuja, lament the fuel situation is ‘frustrating and demoralising’, as they urge the Federal Government to be proactive and resolve the product scarcity disrupting socio-economic activities in the West African country

Isola Moses | 绿帽献妻

It is not yet a new dawn in regard to availability of聽 petroleum products as residents and motorists in different parts of the Nigeria have continued to lament the hardship being experienced over scarcity of the Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), otherwise known as petrol.

绿帽献妻 reports the fuel situation is fast becoming worrisome to several residents, motorists and workers.

Some motorists and commercial motorcyclists, especially in Ikeja, Agege and聽 Iju-Ishaga areas of the state, who related their recent experiences Sunday, January 29, 2023, disclosed that they had been buying petrol between N195 and N300 since the perennial scarcity began in the country months ago.

Whereas it was also noticed that a number of operating filling stations in certain areas would sell the product early in the morning, and later shut their gates as the day was fully established.

Yet, others have remained shut for days as they claimed non-availability of PMS to sell to consumers.

Fuel situation in Abuja, FCT

It was also learnt that checks at the filling stations in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and its environs Friday, January 27 revealed that long queues of vehicles were seen at all the stations that have the petroleum product.

Other filling stations that have the product were dispensing at N195 per litre while the NNPC Limited Retail stations were dispensing N194 per litre, agency report said.

A good number of the filling stations were seen without having the product at the time.

However, report indicates in the City centre, NNPC Limited Mega station by Church Gate and NNPC Limited retail station at Zone 1, Wuse, in Abuja, were seen with long queues of vehicles.

Conoil and TotalEnergies filling stations, opposite NNPC Limited Towers also had long queues of vehicles.

The situation is also getting worse along Nyanya-Keffi highway, as several filling stations did not have petroleum product,

while along Lugbe, Airport Road, queues were seen at Danmana, NIPCO, Shafa and AA Rano filling stations.

Fuel scarcity ‘frustrating and demoralising’ –Motorists

Motorists expressed dissatisfaction over the non-availability of the product.

According to them, the situation is frustrating and demoralising as the consumers normally stay over the next day to get fuel, report stated.

Mr. Ismaila Jimoh said: 鈥淚 usually queue till 12 midnight and the next day to get fuel. If not, my taxi business will suffer a loss.鈥�

Certain Sadiq Yakubu said though he was in Coupon Queue to be charged through his credit card but it had not been easy. The consumer, however, urged the Federal Government to hasten up with laudable decision to resolve the fuel situation.

Mr. Peter Okpe, Manager, TotalEnergies station, who appealed to the government to find a lasting solution to the crisis said though it always served motorists for 24 hours, the queues at the station had become too long because there was no enough product in circulation.

Intervention of Presidential Committee on Petroleum Products Management

It is recalled President Muhammadu Buhari recently approved the constitution of a 14-man Steering Committee on Petroleum Products Supply and Distribution management to find a lasting solution to disruptions in the supply and distribution of petroleum products.

Other terms of reference of the committee are to ensure national strategic stock management, visibility on the NNPC Limited refineries rehabilitation programme, and ensure end-end tracking of petroleum products, especial PMS to ascertain daily national consumption and eliminate smuggling in Nigeria.

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