Jamznet Editor
There is no Scarcity, we have abundant products and there is no cause for alarm- NNPC Ltd
The capital of the country, Abuja, is facing a fuel shortage as long lines of commuters and business drivers gathered at gas stations across the city on Friday.
Some of the fueling stations we visited on Friday had lines, but other stations were locked.
Road transport worker Chukuemeka Eze claimed to have stood in line in Apo for four hours in the sweltering sun when this publication visited one of the stations.
Mr. Eze claimed to have observed the lines on Thursday but to have ignored them since he intended to pick up the petrol on Friday before leaving.
“Today, I left earlier than I should have (8:30 am) in the hopes of getting fuel and returning to work by 11 am, but as of 1 pm, I still hadn’t purchased any fuel.
He remarked, “I just hope I’m inside the filling station already.”
The Fynefield fueling station at Apo Resettlement had sealed its gates, making it impossible for any more cars to enter.
On a typical day, lines form at all of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited’s retail locations because the stores offer fuel for N617 per litre, which is less expensive than most other locations where prices can reach N680.
However, it was seen at the NNPC station that since Thursday, the line has gotten longer, affecting traffic in the Apo Central Business District Area along Herbert Macaulay Way.
The cost of petrol at other filling stations in the city’s Banex, Apo, Kubwa, and Lugbe neighborhoods ranged from N617 to N680.
Long lines were seen Friday afternoon at NNPC Ltd stations at Kubwa Express and Arab Road, as well as at Nipco filling stations in Banex and Wuse 2.
There were lengthy lines at the Mobil filling station on Airport Road and NNPC Ltd as of Friday am.
A young man was spotted at Life Camp moving his motorcycle from the side of the AA Rano gas station in Dape, right before Karmo Market, to a park. The man, Haruna Ismail, said that he had been using the three liters of petrol he had purchased on the illegal market to work for the day.
He ran to the already boisterous selling point, saying, “My fuel finished not far from here and I can not continue to buy black market; I pray they sell to me in this jerrycan.”
Since then, black marketers have taken advantage of the situation, moving among packed gas stations and charging between N1,000 and N1,500 per litre for fuel.
NNPC communicates
As of Friday press time, the reason for the line is unknown.
Olufemi Soneye, the NNPC Ltd. spokesperson, stated that there is no reason to be concerned.
“There is no reason for concern; we have an abundance of products and there is no scarcity,” he declared.
Fuel shortages struck Abuja in February, prompting the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) to order its members to stop providing services.
In a letter dated February 15 and signed by Othman Yusuf, National President of NARTO, the organization directed its members to cease loading petroleum products as of Monday, February 19. The high operating costs in this industry led to this conclusion.
The union voiced concerns regarding the high cost of diesel required to power its trucks, which are used to deliver petroleum products throughout Nigeria. It emphasized the difficult economic circumstances and declared that carrying on with commercial activities is no longer viable.
NARTO wrote to the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and its members, pleading for their cooperation and understanding. NARTO said that despite efforts, there had been no progress in negotiating reasonable freight rates with industry bodies, such as the Major Energy Marketers Association of Nigeria.
As a result, on February 19th, the NARTO National Executive Council (NEC) resolved that all members would refrain from using their gasoline trucks for loading operations.
After certain agreements were achieved, it later instructed its members to resume loading petroleum.
