Fuel Scarcity Hits Nigeria (UPDATED)

Filling stations in Lagos and other parts of the
country have remained shut to motorists since
Saturday following a sharp drop in the supply of
petrol to the market, The Punch reports.
READ ALSO: How Oil Crisis Can Destroy Nigeria
Reports said that oil marketers were no longer
interested in importing the product mainly because
of the rising exchange rate of the dollar to the Naira.
The other factors responsible for the marketers’
action are delayed subsidy payments and rising
interests on loans from banks.
An official of a major marketing firm, who declined
to have his name in print, said, “I am afraid that we
cannot continue to import petrol because it costs
more now to do so owing to the recent devaluation
of the Naira. The rising amount of petrol subsidy
arrears payable to us coupled with the high
interests on loans from financial institutions, are
still major issues in our hands.”
Another marketer said that an exchange rate of
N226 per dollar was demanded on import duties
contrary to the inter-bank exchange rate of N198
posted on the website of the Petroleum Products
Pricing Regulatory Agency for the pricing template
of PMS approved on February 19, 2015.
The major marketers import close to 60 per cent of
petrol consumed in the country while the Nigerian
National Petroleum Corporation imports the
balance.
Our correspondents observed on Sunday that the
states hit badly by scarcity of petrol were Lagos,
Ogun, Oyo, Bayelsa, Ondo, Ekiti, Kaduna, Delta,
Plateau and Akwa-Ibom. Abuja, the nation’s capital,
appeared to be the worst hit by the shortage.
Alhaji Tokunbo Korodo, the chairman of the Nigeria
Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, Lagos
Zone, said the depots did not have enough petrol to
serve filling stations across the country.
“If there were enough to go round, tanker drivers, of
course, would move products to the areas of need.
Nigerians should not be surprised that this is
happening now. It is really unfortunate,” he said.
In Lagos, many filling stations did not sell petrol but
those that were open for business had long queues
of motorists to contend with.
Although their pump prices remained N87 per litre,
black market operators sold 10 litres for N1200, or
N120 per litre.
Drivers of commercial buses capitalised on the
situation to increase their fares. For instance, a fare
for Ojodu-Berger to Magboro, which previously was
N50, was N100 on Sunday.
READ ALSO: Fuel Price Reduced By N10
One motorist told one of our correspondents in
Lagos that, “If our fuel finishes now, we will go and
queue to get another fuel. Now that we have fuel,
passengers would have to pay more until the
situation improves”.
It was a Herculean task for motorists in Sango-Ota,
Ijebu Ode and Abeokuta in Ogun state to purchase
petrol from the stations.
Although most of the stations sold petrol at the
regulated price of N87 per litre, the Oando Filling
Station in Ijoko, Ota sold it for N100.
A motorist who bought from the said station
demanded and was issued a receipt which she
forwarded to one of our correspondents.
In Ibadan, Oyo state, one of our correspondents had
learnt on Friday that the scarcity was due to
unsubstantiated information that the petrol price
would go down to N65 per litre.
A manager at one of the stations in the Mokola area
of the city said the rumour seemed to be gaining
ground and that the marketers were studying the
situation.
He said, “No businessman wants to run at a loss.
The product we have now was purchased at the old
price. We have not added any price to the stipulated
N87 per litre of petrol but the queue is long because
many people are not sure of the availability of the
product in a few days’ time or why some fuel
stations are not selling.
“Those who are not selling must have exhausted
their product and are unwilling to buy more at the
old price because of the fear that the rumour of a
new price of N65 per litre could be true. If we buy
today at the current price and government slashes
price tomorrow, who pays for the deficit?”
The situation was the same in Ado Ekiti, Ekiti state,
on Sunday as many filling stations rationed the
product.
A station along Adebayo Road sold the product for
only two hours on Saturday evening and not at all on
Sunday.
Motorists and commercial transport operators went
to the hinterland where petrol sold at a higher price
but was readily available. The price ranged between
N100 and N105 per litre.
The shortage which was noticeable in Warri, Sapele,
Ughelli and other parts of Delta state thinned out on
Sunday.
But the pump price of the product remained high in
Asaba as motorists paid between N95 and N100 per
litre.
The attendants said the directive to sell at prices
higher than N87 was given by their bosses, who they
said claimed to have bought the product at a higher
price .
The scarcity in Ondo state which began on Thursday
worsened on Sunday. Petrol also sold for between
N95 and N110 per litre in those filling stations that
were operating.
Checks by our correspondent in the state showed
that most of the stations were still closed.
Olakunle Ajulo, the chairman of the Independent
Marketers Branch, Nigeria Union of Petroleum and
Natural Gas Workers, Ore, attributed the scarcity to
the failure of the government to pay subsidy claims.
He expressed hope that the matter would soon be
resolved as stakeholders were already tackling the
issue.
Ajulo blamed the shortage in Ondo and Ekiti states
on the fact that the Ore Depot was not functioning.
There was also scarcity in Yenagoa, Bayelsa state.
Apart from a few filling stations and the NNPC mega
filling stations, others did not sell the product.
Some motorists spoken to said it was only the NNPC
mega stations that sold petrol, for N87.
A motorist, who gave his name simply as Femi, said
he bought a litre for N90.
The product also sold for between N110 and N120
per litre in Jos, Bukuru and its environs in Plateau
state.
An attendant at one of the stations, who identified
herself as Yeni, said, “We have product, but the
manager asked us to lock up the station.”
Many filling stations in Uyo, Akwa Ibom, on Sunday
were selling petrol at N110 per litre as against N140
to N150 per litre which was the prevalent price for a
litre of fuel last week.
Motorists and commuters in Kaduna state continued
to suffer from a fuel scarcity that hit the metropolis
and its environs on Friday.
READ ALSO: Scarcity, Strike Looms As Pengassan
Kicks
It will be recalled that one month ago in a rather
shocking move, the federal government announced
the reduction of fuel from N97 per litre to N87 per
litre.

Mr jona is using his last days in d offices...use am well

Security Advisory; Please for Now avoid ikorodu rd; mushin rd up to mosalasi as HEAVY WAR btw gangs are currently going on. Tell others

na wa o...God save us o

smile2012 wrote:

Mr jona is using his last days in d offices...use am well

lolz

smile2012 wrote:

na wa o...God save us o

Lolz

aribsebam wrote:

Security Advisory; Please for Now avoid ikorodu rd; mushin rd up to mosalasi as HEAVY WAR btw gangs are currently going on. Tell others

what course the fight!

smile2012 wrote:

Mr jona is using his last days in d offices...use am well

Tell ham

OLOBE wrote:

smile2012 wrote:

Mr jona is using his last days in d offices...use am well

Tell ham

is not the last day okay. He will remain there till 2019

aneke peter chukwujekwu wrote:

OLOBE wrote:

smile2012 wrote:

Mr jona is using his last days in d offices...use am well

Tell ham

is not the last day okay. He will remain there till 2019

hahahaha, say nah u go make ham stay there?

OLOBE wrote:

aneke peter chukwujekwu wrote:

OLOBE wrote:

smile2012 wrote:

Mr jona is using his last days in d offices...use am well

Tell ham

is not the last day okay. He will remain there till 2019

hahahaha, say nah u go make ham stay there?

not only me okay

we 9ja dnt need jona anymore, who wil nw put ham there?

u r just one but trust urself alone

smile2012 wrote:

u r just one but trust urself alone

Ar u nt tired of him

Na naija we dey...

OLOBE wrote:

we 9ja dnt need jona anymore, who wil nw put ham there?

don't say we okay, just say u don't need jonathan.

Na naija we dey...

OLOBE wrote:

smile2012 wrote:

u r just one but trust urself alone

Ar u nt tired of him

answer that question by ur self.

B4 nko...na today

No be 2day naija problems start

problem everywhere

God will help us

what are we going to do now..... especially we that are unemployed due to lack of jobs oooooo.... Oh please God help us

God dey

sunnyga wrote:

God will help us

Amen

we will survive soon

.ℓ̊ hope so

In spite of all dis 'jagajaga', sum pple wud still go ahead n vote 4 gudlock o

Nah so, we are diff.

What do u expect @ safex...na so nija be

No be only naija bro, that's life generally. No matter how bad you are, u'll stil av ur own fans.

eddyvic wrote:

No be only naija bro, that's life generally. No matter how bad you are, u'll stil av ur own fans.

it's very easy 2 kno pdp members

Which ppl are in charge of all these and must see to it that everything is in order

Safex wrote:

eddyvic wrote:

No be only naija bro, that's life generally. No matter how bad you are, u'll stil av ur own fans.

it's very easy 2 kno pdp members

Abi o

dericyk wrote:

Which ppl are in charge of all these and must see to it that everything is in order

is well bro!

aneke peter chukwujekwu wrote:

dericyk wrote:

Which ppl are in charge of all these and must see to it that everything is in order

is well bro!

Yea bros it will be well wen buhari take over

OLOBE wrote:

aneke peter chukwujekwu wrote:

dericyk wrote:

Which ppl are in charge of all these and must see to it that everything is in order

is well bro!

Yea bros it will be well wen buhari take over

yes o

Nah so