Fuel scarcity bites harder in Lagos

Investigation by The Guardian yesterday revealed that many filling stations in the state remained under lock and key as motorists besieged the few that sold products.

Meanwhile, the NNPC Management has called on all stakeholders in the petroleum products distribution chain to align with its concerted efforts at ensuring effective and unimpeded distribution of products throughout the Yuletide season and beyond.

In a statement yesterday, Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, NNPC, Levi Ajuonuma, stated that the corporation regretted that spirited efforts aimed at eliminating the noticeable fuel queues in some Nigerian cities in the last few days, especially Lagos and Abuja, have been slowed down by some extraneous factors.

He listed this to include a strike action embarked upon by members of the Folawiyo Jetty branch of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) triggered by a minor dispute over loading procedures.

The situation, according to Ajuonuma, was aggravated by a misunderstanding between some petroleum tanker drivers and security agents over allegation of extortion in Apapa, Lagos which prompted the drivers to stop lifting products for 48 hours, thereby causing a hitch in fuel supply to Lagos and its environs.

“Thank God that everything has been resolved; the tanker drivers have started lifting fuel and the Folawiyo Jetty is now a beehive of activities,” Ajuonuma said.

The NNPC spokesman appealed to all stakeholders to join hands with the corporation in the spirit of the season to ensure smooth supply of products to alleviate the sufferings of Nigerians.

A source in the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN) yesterday told The Guardian that most depots in Lagos had received petroleum products, adding that normalcy in fuel distribution would be restored this week.

He acknowledged that the dispute between the tanker drivers and security operatives in Apapa last Friday caused the hitch in fuel supply, which led to the current scarcity.