Petrol sold for N120 per litre in Lagos on Monday, as many filling stations closed their gates due to lack of product, signaling that the fuel scarcity in the state is far from over. The Nation’s investigation revealed that most filling stations along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, from the Lagos toll gate, Ojota, and Ogudu Expressway, including outlets owned by major oil companies such as Total, Conoil, and MRS, were out of stock. The few stations that had product, such as Amo Oil, adjusted their pump price to N120 per litre, up from the official N97.
Patchy Supply and Price Adjustments
While some filling stations, including Total Association Avenue in Ilupeju and Mobil along Agidingbi and Oregun Road, were still dispensing at N97 per litre, The Nation gathered that in many parts of Lagos, most filling stations were dry. The uneven distribution has left motorists and residents scrambling for fuel, with long queues forming at the few stations that still had product.
The scarcity, which has persisted for the past two weeks, has been attributed to two main factors: the refusal of marketers to import fuel due to the government’s reluctance to pay their over N200 billion subsidy reimbursement for imported products, and the vandalisation of a major product distribution pipeline, Line 2B, at Arepo in Ogun State.
Marketers Plan Meeting Over Unpaid Subsidies
The oil marketing groups, including the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN), Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association (DAPPMA), Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), and Jetties and Petroleum Tank Farms Owners of Nigeria (JEPTFON), said they would hold a meeting this week to deliberate on their next action toward recovering their money from the government. The meeting is expected to chart a course for resolving the impasse, which has crippled fuel supply in the commercial capital.
The Director of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Mr. Osten Olurnsola, at a meeting, appealed to the marketers to step up product supply, especially as the festive periods approach. He said: “We are approaching the end of year with the expected usual surge in social and festive activities. The attendant elevated quest for consumption of petroleum products cannot be over-emphasised. We wish to encourage marketers to ensure product availability to the public at this critical period. Marketers are strongly advised not to engage in acts that may lead to creation of products scarcity, and other associated ills such as hoarding and product diversion for profiteering.”
NNPC Moves to Repair Vandalised Pipeline
Spokesman of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mr. Fidel Pepple, said the corporation is collaborating with security agencies to fix the Arepo pipeline, which was seriously damaged by oil thieves who also shot dead three employees of the Pipeline and Products Management Company (PPMC), a subsidiary of NNPC. The repair efforts are crucial to restoring normal fuel supply to Lagos and other parts of the country.
As the week progresses, all eyes will be on the marketers’ meeting and the NNPC’s repair timeline, as Lagos residents hope for a swift end to the fuel scarcity that has disrupted daily life and economic activities.
