Fuel Scarcity: Most Filling Stations Shut, As Depot Rations Fuel

Across several states, the persistent fuel scarcity has led to a widespread closure of filling stations, as queues for Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly referred to as petrol, continue to stretch for miles. Meanwhile, depots have resorted to rationing the amount of PMS released to marketers

The impact of fuel scarcity has been felt in Abuja, Niger, and Nasarawa, with the majority of filling stations in these regions remaining closed or experiencing severe fuel shortages. Amongst the few stations that remain open, the situation is no less dire, as long lines of motorists wait patiently to purchase petrol. Even the outlets operated by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and Conoil along the Kubwa-Zuba expressway in Abuja witnessed significant fuel queues on Monday.

However, other outlets such as Salbas, Gegu Oil, and Eterna along the same road were unable to dispense fuel and therefore remained closed.
Meanwhile, in Niger State, all three NNPC retail outlets located between Zuba and Madalla were also closed. Other neighboring outlets, including A.A Rano, B. A Bello, Total, A.Y Maikifi, Major Oil, and Enyo were all shut on Monday.

Consequently, there were significant queues at the sole Mobil filling station in Madalla that was operational and dispensing petrol when our correspondent visited the area to assess the fuel supply situation. The continual presence of queues was further compounded by depot owners grappling with limited petrol supply.

Reporters also noted that only filling stations owned by major oil marketers were dispensing fuel to customers on Monday, with long queues reported in various parts of Lagos and Ogun State. It was observed that retail outlets owned by independent marketers remained closed due to their lack of fuel supply.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited retail outlet in Iyana-Woro had a lengthy queue of vehicles waiting to purchase petrol. NNPC Retail outlets typically sell PMS at prices below N600/litre in Lagos but dispense it at N617/litre in Abuja and surrounding areas. Additionally, Heyden filling station along Iyana-Woro, MRS at Alapere, Conoil, TotalEnergies, and Mobil along Alahusa Secretariat all experienced long queues, selling a litre of PMS between N617 and N650.

Drivers are unable to wait in the queues mentioned resorting to independent marketers who charge prices between N800 and N900/litre. Consequently, there was a noticeable increase in transport fares across Lagos and Ogun states.
A depot operator, speaking on condition of anonymity, revealed to one of our correspondents that the limited number of depots with the product were rationing on Monday.

The situation remains unchanged as of Tuesday. “Depots are currently being loaded at a slow pace due to a shortage of products,” a source disclosed. It was suggested by another source that it could take up to a week to return to normal operations, with the planned hunger protest potentially exacerbating the situation.