Petrol Queues Grow Longer as Scarcity Bites Harder, Marketers Adjust Pump Prices, NNPC Speaks

LAGOS-IT was a tortuous time for motorists and commuters in Lagos and its environs who had to contend with biting petrol scarcity that saw commercial operators increasing transportation costs. The development has resulted in long queues at petrol and diesel dispensers as owners of vehicles move from one pump to another, while Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) which now sells for N850 per litre at some stations is further driving up the prices. The queues started forming from as early last Friday, July 26, with only a few fuel stations selling petrol. Saturday, July 27, 2024 – Many stations had by now raised pump price from N650 per litre to between N850 and N950 per litre. Many stations, no less than this one, eventually ran dry and caused massive queues on the roads as drivers sought to fill up in an apparent panic. The Lagos State Emergency Management Authorities (LASTMA) seemed to be under-fire for the heavy bloated traffic by motorist heading towards fuel stations in their hundreds.

Legit.ng reported that a spokesperson for the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited explained that a hitches in the discharge activities of some vessels was the cause of the fuel scarcity. X shared that Olufemi Soneye, the NNPC Ltd spokesman suggested in a press release that there had been “a breakage in the fuel supply and distribution chain” as a result of the disruption. It was reported that the NNPCL is currently working together with relevant authorities to rectify the situation and put it in the past. This will ensure that the fuel market will stabilise and stop the current scarcity that affects Lagos and the surrounding cities.