Due to stock shortages, queues are forming again at petrol stations in Lagos

Checks by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Sunday revealed that most of the petrol stations along Ikorodu Road were not recording any sales.

However, there were long queues at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd. (NNPCL) and NIPCO at the Fadeyi bus stop on the same road.

In other areas like Bank Anthony, only Total, Northwest and NNPCL petrol stations were open, all of which had long queues, while the Mobil petrol station at Salami Shaibu in Somolu Metropolis remained closed due to chaotic scenes caused by commercial vehicles.

Illegal fuel traders were spotted taking advantage of the situation along Ikorodu Road, in Maryland, Gbagada and Ogba.

Some marketers, speaking on condition of anonymity, attributed the supply difficulties to NNPC Ltd.'s inability to pay importers since March.

They claimed that NNPCL was the sole importer and was responsible for the shortage.

Motorists and commuters have expressed frustration over the fuel shortage, which has led to long queues and significant fare increases across Lagos.

Banker Chuks Edwin told NAN that the shortage of fuel had led to persistent traffic jams around filling stations on Ikorodu Road and in Ikeja, with motorists queuing for hours to fill up at the few stations that still dispense fuel.

Edwin noted that queues had been getting longer since last Wednesday and called on the government to address the issue to facilitate the movement of workers and residents in Lagos.

“Some petrol stations were selling fuel at prices ranging from 618 to 800 naira per litre, depending on the region. This resulted in higher transport costs,” said Edwin.

Jimoh Saka, a bus driver at Ileja bus stop in Bariga, lamented the lack of fuel to justify the increase in fare from 200 naira to 300 naira for trips from Bariga to Onipan.

“The increase in transport costs is not our fault. We sleep at petrol stations just to buy fuel and continue our business.”

“The situation is difficult and people should understand that it is not our fault,” Saka explained.

Another driver, Gbenga Saliu, expressed his frustration with the stress of waiting in long queues, saying: “It’s really stressful.”

“Those who do not wait patiently in line end up buying on the black market for over 1,200 naira per litre or at some petrol stations for 800 or 700 naira per litre,” he added.

Meanwhile, Olufemi Soneye, Chief Corporate Communications Officer of NNPC Ltd., clarified in a statement on Sunday that the company did not owe international oil traders $6.8 billion as some media reports had claimed.

Soneye explained that in the oil trade, transactions are often carried out on credit and it is quite common to be in debt at times.

He stressed that NNPC Ltd. had met its obligations and paid invoices on a first-in, first-out (FIFO) basis.

He also refuted the claim that NNPC Ltd. had not transferred any money to the Federation Account since January, saying that the company and its subsidiaries regularly pay taxes to the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).

“NNPC Limited is the largest contributor to the tax revenue allocated monthly in the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC),” Soneye said.

He also clarified that NNPC Ltd. has no role in the fiscalization of quality and quantity of imported petroleum products as this is the responsibility of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).

Soneye reiterated that in line with its commitment to Transparency, Accountability and Performance Excellence (TAPE) under the leadership of Mele Kyari since 2019, NNPC Ltd. welcomes media enquiries on its operations before making them public.