Petrol marketers lament supply shortage as queues worsen (photos)

As fuel scarcity continued to hit Nigerians and businesses hard on Wednesday, marketers under the aegis of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) have lamented the inability to get petrol supply from depot owners.

Motorists queued for hours on Wednesday at filling stations in major cities, including Lagos, with some spending as much as six hours or more while others kept a vigil on fuel queues so they could be among the first to be served the next morning.

The interplay of these factors is causing disruption at home. Despite the federal government’s reassurance, the ongoing shortage of petrol is worsening across major cities in the country, and some marketers blame current development on the inability of the NNPC to meet supply gaps.

Garba Deen Muhammad, group general manager, group public affairs division at the NNPC, had yet to respond to newsmen enquiries.

Market survey around petrol stations in Lagos revealed that five litres of petrol at the black market was sold for between N2,000 to N3,000 on Wednesday.

Many residents, who spoke on the fuel situation, decried the unnecessary hardship they were subjected to in getting petrol as the scarcity was biting harder in major parts of Lagos, and neighbouring towns, forcing many people to spend hours at the filling stations.