Frustration Mounts in Nigeria as Fuel Queues Persist Despite NNPCL Assurances

Ilesanmi AdekanbiJuly 9, 2024

1 minute read

Residents of Abuja, Nasarawa, and surrounding states are facing significant distress due to prolonged fuel queues at filling stations, despite assurances from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to increase supply.

Motorists in these affected regions have been enduring the frustration of waiting in line for hours to obtain fuel since last week. This predicament is evident at various filling stations along the Kubwa Expressway, Airport Road/Lugbe axis, and Nyanya-Jikwoyi Road.

Many filling stations are selling fuel at prices exceeding N700 per liter, while NNPCL retail stations are offering it at N617 per liter.

This disparity has led to a noticeable increase in transport fares within the nation’s capital. For instance, the fare for a trip from Airport Junction to Kubwa has surged from N500 to N700, and similarly, the fare from Berger to Kubwa has also risen from N500 to N700.

Benjamin Olatunji, an Abuja resident, expressed his frustration over the recurring fuel scarcity in Nigeria. “It is frustrating. We keep experiencing scarcity in a country that produces crude oil. I have been in the queue for nearly three hours but have yet to get the product,” he lamented.

Rukiyatu Adamu highlighted the compounded economic hardships that Nigerians are facing due to the fuel queues.

“Honestly, Nigerians may be pushed into a situation similar to Kenya’s if the economic hardship continues unabated. It is unimaginable that a country producing crude oil is importing its by-product, fuel, and yet, we keep having the issue of fuel scarcity. It is terrible, to say the least. I practically spent my whole day at the NNPCL filling station along Kubwa Expressway on Monday,” she said.

Meanwhile, NNPCL has urged motorists to refrain from panic buying or hoarding fuel. In a statement released by the company’s spokesperson, Olufemi Soneye, on Monday, NNPCL attributed the looming scarcity to logistical challenges and flooding. “Loading has already commenced in areas where these challenges have subsided, and we hope the situation will continue to improve in the coming days, leading to full normalcy,” the statement read.