Lagos Motorists Groan As Fuel Queues Resurface, Worsen Across Filling Stations

Motorists in Lagos had a hectic time getting petrol yesterday as queues worsened across filling stations in the state.

Findings revealed a shortage in supply compounded by the Easter festivities.

Queues were first observed on Tuesday after the Easter celebration but worsened on Thursday.

In Ogba, Ikeja, Alausa, Oba Akran, Surulere and Victoria Island, long queues of vehicles dotted several stations.

At the Total filling station on Mobalaji Bank Anthony in Ikeja, the fuel queues stretched for several kilometers, leading to traffic congestion.

On the ever busy Murtala Muhammed Airport, activities of fuel racketters selling in jerrycans dotted the road, an indication of a shortage in supply.

Majority of NNPC filling stations with petrol equally had long queues of vehicles due to its retail price which is cheaper compared to others.NNPC retail stations sell at N568 per litre while other major and independent marketers sell at over N600 per litre.

More worrisome is the fact that independent filling stations with a larger chunk of outlets are out of stock for several months.

Some of the marketers at the Apapa depot who spoke to Daily Sun explained that there has been a shortage in supply from the importer of last resort.

A marketer who identified himself as Mr. Adekunle Sanusi, said since Monday, his depot has not loaded a single truck of petrol due to the shortfall in supply.

Another marketer, Mrs.Adeola Odubunmi, said if supply doesn’t improve by weekend, the situation may snowball into full blown scarcity.

She lamented that the number of cargoes bringing petrol into the country has reduced in the last one month,urging the importer of last resort to up its game.

Some of the motorists who spoke to our correspondent in seperate interviews expressed their frustration over the frequent scarcity.

A commercial bus driver Waheed Alamu, said efforts to get his commercial bus fuel tank proved abortive after spending over two hours in queue.

Another motorist, Kunle Ademola, said he left the queue after waiting in line for over one hour only to be told that the fuel was exhausted.

Also speaking, Mrs. Funmilayo Aderibigbe, noted the manhour loss spent in fuel queues also amount to revenue loss as she had to abandon other business activities to stay in queue.

Further checks at Apapa depot yesterday showed that two petrol vessel are currently offloading at Apapa/Midstream jetty with MT GRACE LEO at NOJ with 10,400 MT and MT PERICLES at ASPM Jetty with 37,045 MT.