By Afolabi Samuel Odunayo
In the face of increasing fears over the planned nationwide protests, oil marketers in some parts of Abuja, Niger, Nasarawa, Lagos, and Kogi states respectively have shut down their filling stations on Friday, leading to widespread fuel scarcity.
While speaking on the matter to reporters, Mohammed Shuaibu, Secretary of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, stated that some stations might be closed due to product unavailability, while others would be closed on account of their apprehensions over the planned protest.
These developments reportedly led to the reappearance of fuel queues at outlets like AYM Shafa in Dei-Dei and NNPC in Zuba, Niger State.
Reports say that retail outlets, including those operated by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) in Kubwa, Salbas Oil, Eterna, and Gegu Oil, have stopped dispensing fuel along the Kubwa-Zuba expressway.
According to sources, most stations including those in Lagos State are not dispensing fuel at all, while the few operational ones now sell at N800 per liter.
In what is to be described as a slightly different case, oil marketers in Ogun State only experienced higher prices with long queues in areas such as Magboro and Ibafo which are along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
The New Diplomat reports a long queue of over a hundred meters at Quest Filling Station in Magboro, with one of three petrol pumps functioning.
Also at NIPCO Filling Station in Magboro, our checks revealed that diesel was priced at N1,200 per liter, while petrol cost N675 per liter, with four out of five petrol pumps operational.
Reacting, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Heineken Lokpobiri, in a statement issued by his media aide Nneamaka Okafor, urged Nigerians to stay calm as the government works to address the country’s issues.
Cautioning against participation in the nationwide protests scheduled for August 1, Lokpobiri emphasized that unity and patience when imbibed by citizens will help bring about constructive development in the nation.
Meanwhile, there were no reported fuel lines in Kwara or any other state, where a litre of gasoline still stays between N600 and N800.
