Nigerians are expressing growing frustration as fuel queues continue to persist across multiple states, despite assurances from authorities.
In Abuja, although fuel queues have shortened in some areas, many filling stations remain closed, and prices still range between N700 and N800 per litre. In the outskirts, prices are even higher, reaching up to N950 per litre due to inconsistent fuel distribution.
The ongoing fuel shortage, which started over a month ago in Abuja, has now spread to neighbouring states like Kaduna, Kano, Niger, and Nasarawa, where residents continue to face severe scarcity.
In Lagos, the situation remains dire, with long queues at the few stations that have fuel. Prices in the city range from N720 to N960 per litre, with motorists and petroleum marketers expressing frustration over the ongoing crisis.
Elsewhere, in states like Port Harcourt, Edo, and Kano, fuel prices have skyrocketed, with some black market sellers charging up to N1,100 per litre. The scarcity has also led to increased transportation costs, adding to the hardship faced by Nigerians.
Despite promises from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) to resolve the distribution challenges, the situation remains dire, leaving Nigerians struggling with the impact of the prolonged fuel crisis.
Earlier, NNPC’s Vice President (Downstream), Dapo Segun, apologised to Nigerians over the queues blaming weather conditions for the insufficient distribution of fuel across the country.
“A number of the causes are outside of our control but we’ll do our best to manage. We do not like to make excuses,” Segun stated.
Former Chairman of MOMAN and Managing Director of 11Plc Limited, owners of Mobil filling stations, Mr Tunji Oyebanji, told ThisDay that NNPC was still giving them the usual quantity that was not enough for the market.
He said the queue was not likely to disappear unless product supply to marketers improved.
His words: “No much improvement yet. They are still giving us what they have been giving to us, which is not enough. So the queue is not likely to disappear since the supply from the source is not enough. So people need to shun panic buying and have the confidence that the supply will improve.
“As long as people keep on with their panic buying where they will go to the station and wait to fill up their tanks, the queue will continue. So like I said, let people have the feeling that whenever they come to the station, they can buy the quantity that will take them for that day. With that, the queue will be reduced.
“We are hoping and praying for the supply to improve so that every filling station will have the product to sell, and this problem will end”.