Nigerians continue to face difficulties in obtaining Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol, as depots grapple with ongoing fuel shortages.
investigations revealed that numerous filling stations in Lagos, Abuja, Ogun, and other states remain closed due to their inability to secure PMS.
The scarcity is increasingly impacting both major and independent marketers, with many stations that previously dispensed fuel now shut down.
At the few stations where petrol is available, prices range between N700 and N1,000 per liter.
On social media, some Nigerians have urged the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) to explain why the fuel scarcity has persisted for the past three weeks.
Since July 27, when the NNPC attributed the shortage to a disruption in the discharge operations of several vessels, the situation has seen little improvement, and the Federal Government has yet to address the public on the matter.
From Berger to Ogudu, Iyana-Woro to Lagos Island, Ikeja to Abule Egba, and Apapa to Surulere, only a few filling stations were open for business on Tuesday.
Stations with fuel in Abuja had queues stretching up to one kilometer and depots in Apapa have not received sufficient supply from the NNPC.
They explained that demand currently far exceeds what the sole importer of PMS can supply.
Although vessels are delivering imported fuel, the supply is insufficient to alleviate the ongoing fuel crisis in the country.
“There is no fuel at the depots. Whatever is being imported now is not enough to fight the current scarcity. And the price is high because marketers now get petrol at N730/litre. There is nothing we operators can do when there is no supply.
“The supply is not increasing because the importer is incurring too much debt. The more they import, the more the debt on the NNPC, so they continue to ration. Everywhere is dry, and even major marketers are affected. NNPC retail outlets are affected. The situation is worse in Abuja, especially at Airport Road,” One of the operators, stated on the condition of anonymity due to a lack of authorization to discuss the matter.
It was also observed that the high cost of petrol is affecting the cost of transportation, impacting the cost of living.
