Nigerians are still facing difficulties in obtaining Premium Motor Spirit, commonly known as petrol, as depots continue to grapple with fuel shortages.
Our correspondent’s investigation revealed that many filling stations in Lagos, Abuja, Ogun, and other states remain closed due to their inability to access PMS.
The scarcity is increasingly affecting both major and independent marketers, with even stations that had been dispensing fuel in recent weeks now shutting their doors.
At the few stations where petrol is available, prices range between N700 and N1,000 per litre.
Some Nigerians have taken to social media, urging the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) to explain why the fuel scarcity has persisted for the past three weeks.
Since July 27, when the NNPC attributed the shortage to delays in the discharge operations of several vessels, the situation has seen little improvement, and the Federal Government has remained silent on the matter.
From Berger to Ogudu, Iyana-Woro to Lagos Island, Ikeja to Abule Egba, and Apapa to Surulere, only a handful of filling stations were open for business on Tuesday.
Our correspondent learned that in Abuja, stations with fuel had queues of cars stretching as long as a kilometer.
Operators informed our correspondent that depots in Apapa had not received sufficient supply from the NNPC. They noted that demand is currently far exceeding the supply that the sole importer of PMS can bring into the country.
According to these operators, although vessels are delivering imported fuel, the supply falls short of what is needed to resolve the ongoing crisis.
“There is no fuel at the depots. The current imports are insufficient to combat the shortage, and prices are high because marketers are now getting petrol at N730 per litre. We, as operators, are powerless without supply,” one operator explained anonymously, citing a lack of authorization to speak on the issue.
“The supply isn’t increasing because the importer is accumulating significant debt. The more they import, the more debt the NNPC incurs, so they continue to ration fuel. Everywhere is dry, and even major marketers are affected, including NNPC retail outlets. The situation is especially dire in Abuja, particularly on Airport Road,” the operator added.
Another marketer told our correspondent that the few depots with fuel were not selling to external buyers, instead, they were dispatching the limited stock to their stations.
It was also observed that the rising cost of petrol is driving up transportation expenses, further impacting the cost of living.
