Nigerians groan as fuel scarcity bites harder

Nigerians have continued to lament the hardship caused by the scarcity of petroleum products across the country as businesses and households that depend on generators for power supply groan in the dark.

In recent weeks, motorists across Nigeria have found it difficult to get hold of petroleum products as commuters continue to lament the effects of the shortage as transport fares have soared in major cities.

Despite the government’s repeated assertions that it had enough petroleum products in stock, the shortage has persisted amid poor electricity supply across the country.

The latest development is the federal government announcing an increase in the pump price.

Last Thursday, reports said the government had quietly approved N185 per liter petrol as the new pump. But the government, however, denied the claim.

The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, said President Muhammadu Buhari did not allow any increase in the price of PMS or other petroleum products.

“There is no reason President Muhammadu Buhari to renege on the previous promise not to accept an increase in the price of petroleum motor spirit (PMS) at this time,” Mr. Sylva said.

But despite the government’s stance, PREMIUM TIMES observed that Nigerians have continued to suffer from scarcity of petroleum products across the country.

Price increase

A survey of petrol stations in various parts of the country showed that fuel prices ranged between N240 and N400 in Nigerian states, much higher than the old pump price.

A PREMIUM TIMES correspondent who visited petrol stations in Abuja on Monday afternoon found many petrol stations closed while others were besieged by motorbikes, tricycle owners and private and commercial vehicles.

While many gas stations sold the product at prices ranging from N200 to N250, NNPC retail stations sold the product for N194.

Black market prices of fuel have gone flat with 10 liters of petrol being sold for between N4000 and N6000 in Lugbe, Jabi, Kubwa and Gwagwalada, according to findings by PREMIUM TIMES on Monday.

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Traffic jams appeared in some important parts of the capital, as many service lanes were closed due to long queues stretching from gas stations.

In addition, the crisis has led to an increase in the cost of transport and passengers stopped at several bus stops on Monday, workers and students returning from work and school respectively.

“To be honest with you, this fuel problem is so pathetic, I have been queuing since 3pm to get fuel. It’s 4:30 pm and yet it hasn’t been my turn to get the product. As you can see, there are many queues here because they are selling on N194,” Kevin Enoch, a taxi driver at NNPC retail CBD on Wuse Road, told PREMIUM TIMES.

Another taxi driver, Kayode Ademilekan, said: “This fuel problem has become a habit in the country, I have seen it and I am not sure that our government is doing anything to deal with it. We are suffering in this country.”

A worker at the Center for Journalism Innovation and Development, Bukumi Akanbi, told PREMIUM TIMES that he had to pick a ride back home on Monday evening.

“Would you believe that I was at the bus stop for almost two hours and still no car came. I must say that public buses are scarce.

“I ordered a ride home because I was stressed. Where I need to go with only N300, a trip will take me there for N2500. It doesn’t matter anymore,” he said.

An Abuja-based civil servant, who identified himself as Peter, said: “At the beginning of every year the government punishes us with scarce fuel, that is what happened last year and it has continued this year. I bought fuel at the rate of N5,000 on Sunday to power my generator. If I keep buying N5,000 just for the generator, how much is my salary? I hope we will vote sensibly this time.”

Another official, George Abah, said: “At this point, this is intolerable. People are suffering and the election is next month. Recently, I was at one of the gas stations in Wuse to get fuel but I couldn’t get fuel, tell me now what I can say is that the government is making life very unbearable for the people”.

A motorist, Ojo Adekunle, said he hiked his transport fare because he had to resort to the “black market” to get petrol.

“If you want to get in my car and I tell you how much I collect, if you don’t like it, get out. It’s the black market that I buy now,” he said.

South East

In Anambra, this newspaper observed that some petrol stations were giving between N350 and N400 to N400 per litre.

A car owner, Okoye Chinedu, told PREMIUM TIMES that the endless fuel shortage in the country was not good for the economy.

“For the economy of our country, this is not good at all and I must tell you that all the relevant authorities have not found a permanent solution. Now I have to pay through the nose to fuel my car from N350 by buying a liter at the gas station.

“I was in Nnewi at the beginning of January and I had to pay as much as N350 (per litre) to get fuel. This epileptic state of fuel availability needs to be addressed,” he said.

Ogechukwu Udeh, a businessman based in Nnewi said he bought it for N500 per liter during the last Christmas festival but the product is available at N300 or N350 per liter depending on the location.

In Enugu, there were long queues at some of the major gas stations visited around the city.

ChrisTee gas station, Deppo bus stop Police College sold petrol to motorists on N320 and Eterna gas station, Ologo bus stop in Coal Camp and Mayor market bus stop Jedik stop too were open to customers when they visited. Both sold the product at between N310 and N320 per litre.

Port Harcourt

A resident of Port Harcourt, Ebuka Ikeru, told PREMIUM TIMES that fuel prices have increased in the city in recent times.

“Fuel was sold at N400 per liter at the end of December 2022. But now, it is sold at N500 per liter with black market rates at N700 per litre. These things have gone on and there is no sign of the price going down anytime soon,” he said.

Residents of Ekiti, Cross River, Imo, Delta and many other cities across the country experienced similar hardships.

the southwest

In Lagos, motorists continue to bemoan fuel scarcity, with few petrol stations dispensing petrol, impatient and desperate taxi drivers, okada drivers and young business owners desperate to get petrol for their daily operations.

“The situation is worst because there is no electricity and the heat has been really crazy,” Tayo Ademola, a resident of Ojodu, told PREMIUM TIMES on Tuesday evening.

In Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State, residents lamented the poor supply of produce even as they were desperate to buy it at high prices.

An official who declined to have his name in print told PREMIUM TIMES in a telephone chat on Tuesday evening that “the austerity has never been this serious”. According to him, Nigerians are facing several challenges and “it is surprising that this is happening during the election season”.

In Oju-Ore, Ogun State, PREMIUM TIMES gathered that most petrol stations are bustling with motorists and small business owners looking for fuel.

Persistent crisis

On Friday, the Major Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN) attributed the crisis to the high cost of inadequate vessels and trucks to transport petroleum products from depots to filling stations across the country.

Traders explained that these high logistics and exchange rate costs continue to put pressure on their operations by affecting the price at the pump.

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association Nigeria (IPMAN) has also noted that the volume of products supplied to marketers at loading docks has dropped by about 50 percent.

Speaking to PREMIUM on Monday, NNPCL Group Corporate Communications Officer GarbaDeen Muhammad said the company is doing everything possible to see that the queues subside.

“We are doing everything we can to see that this queue subsides (sic). We supply as much as we can, we recently visited an accident that took two or three trailers off the rails, which are part of the problem that caused this shortage”, he said.

He stated that due to the accident, several trucks are waiting to pass the Agaie-Bida road.

“We are pushing everything we can to get these trailers off the road. Even if we have been able to remove them when there is a shortage of fuel, it takes time to bridge the gap.

“And don’t forget that NNPC is now a commercial enterprise and we are struggling to make profits. One of our basic duties is to ensure that there is sufficient fuel supply in the country and we will ensure that there is. So distribution is another thing,” Mr. Muhammad told PREMIUM TIMES.

Meanwhile, IPMAN President Chinedu Chinedu Okoronkwo in an interview with PREMIUM TIMES said the situation is still unclear at the moment.

“For us at IPMAN, we have not been told what is happening. There is confusion, the situation is still not clear to us at the moment. As for the deposit price, some friends are talking about N172 in Lagos,” he said.

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Going forward, he explained that the onus is on the government and NNPCL to ensure adequate fuel supply.

He said: “Whatever the government decides, we are ready for it. The fact is that they are sitting on it because our profit margin has remained the same despite all the price increases.

“We have not been given any margin for relations, but what can we do? We believe that one day things will change.”