Transporters Hike Fares As Filling Stations Shut Down In Many States

There has been an outrageous increase in transportation fare, owing to the worsened fuel scarcity in Nigeria, with many filling stations shut down in several states, including Abuja, Niger, and Nasarawa.

GWG.ng learnt that the few stations that are open have long queues of motorists waiting to buy petrol, leading to frustration and gridlock in major cities.

In Abuja, several NNPC and Conoil filling stations had long queues, with some motorists waiting for hours to buy fuel. Others, such as Salbas, Gegu Oil, and Eterna, were closed due to lack of product.

The situation was similar in Niger State, where many filling stations, including NNPC retail outlets, were shut, leading to massive queues at the few stations that were open.

In Lagos and Ogun only filling stations owned by major marketers were dispensing fuel, with long queues reported at many outlets. Independent marketers were unable to get fuel supply, leading to closures and a rise in transport fares.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited retail outlet in Iyana-Woro had a long queue of vehicles waiting to buy petrol. The NNPC Retail outlets usually sell PMS at prices below N600/litre in Lagos, but dispense it at N617/litre in Abuja and environs.

Also, the Heyden filling station along Iyana-Woro, MRS at Alapere, Conoil, TotalEnergies, and Mobil along Alahusa Secretariat all had long queues as they sold a litre of PMS between N617 and N650.

Drivers who could not wait in the queues said they had to patronise the independent marketers who sell between N700 and N900/litre.

The scarcity has also led to an increase in black market activities, with petrol being sold at exorbitant prices, up to N1,500 per liter.

Depot operators confirmed that they were rationing petrol due to low supply, and it may take up to a week to restore normalcy.

“Nothing has changed as of Monday. The depot owners have started rationing the little they have. Depots are loading, but at snail speed, and this was occasioned by the paucity of product,” a depot operator told The PUNCH.

Another source hinted that the planned hunger protest might worsen the situation.

“This scarcity will be with us till the weekend because supply dislocation takes a minimum of one week to get to normalcy. If the movement of trucks during protest is affected, it will get worse,” he added.

With additional report from the Punch

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