Queues at Premium Motor Spirit (popularly known as petrol) filling stations may have lessened this week as PMS discharge continues at warehouses in Lagos.
According to a report on Saturday, filling station owners have decided not to open for business in earnest due to the hunger protest that began on Thursday. Truck owners and drivers were also apprehensive of possible attacks during fuel transport.
Oil marketers on Monday also noted that the return of queues at petrol filling stations in many states is a direct result of traders depleting stocks of petroleum products to prevent loss of resources due to the ongoing hunger protest across the country.
Many states in Nigeria, including the Abuja capital, experienced fluctuations in queue levels about two weeks ago, which the Nigerian National Petrol Association Limited attributed to a “hitch in the release tasks of two or three vessels.”
The company and its partners worked together to address the issue, but the outbreak of hunger and economic protest across the country on Thursday, August 1, 2024, again affected oil supplies, disturbing petroleum supply in some states. However, a reliable source at the depot told reporters on Monday that several trucks were being loaded on Sunday and Monday to supply oil across the country.
Officials from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Agency and other government agencies were apparently on the scene to regulate the cycle.
It was noted that additional tankers had come in over the weekend to supply some terminals.
“There were exercises today in certain terminals that took fuel during the continuous dissent,” the official said.
Another official told reporters, “NMDPRA and different authorities have been working since Thursday when the dissent began, only that terminals are being cautious about the security of trucks and drivers out and about.”
The official added that the the apparently low dissent the nation faced especially in Lagos, has also supported the loading since Sunday. The official said queues at petrol stations may start from Monday, but not as they should.
However, he noted that the pump price per litre of petrol may still be higher until next week if the supply situation continues to improve.
Journalists found that many petrol stations in the city have yet to be properly operated since the hunger protest began. Many Nigerians also preferred to stay at home for fear of violence.
Many petrol stations were empty last Sunday, causing fuel shortages and queues in parts of Lagos, Ogun, Abuja, Niger and several other states in the country. Black market traders were observed taking advantage of the situation, selling the product for up to N1,300 and N1,500 per litre in parts of Lagos and Ogun states respectively.
NNPC discovered that the shortage in fuel supply and distribution in certain parts of Lagos and the FCT was due to glitches in customs clearance for some vessels.
NNPC Corporate Correspondences Official, Olufemi Soneye, said the company was “working nonstop with all partners to determine what is going on and reestablish business as usual in the activities.”
