Fuel scarcity bites harder in Lagos

Scarcity of petrol persisted in Lagos on Wednesday as motorists spent close to five hours at filling stations queuing for the commodity which was not forthcoming.

Filling stations at Costain, Ojuelegba, Agege, Isolo and Ojota areas were not dispensing the product.

Most of the independent oil marketers’ filling stations at Iyana-Ipaja were selling between N100 and N120 per litre.

A petrol attendant at a filling station in Iyana-Ipaja, said he was directed by the managing director of the station to sell the product at N100 per litre.

At Mushin, long queue of vehicles prevented free flow of vehicles at Oando and Mobil filling stations were selling the product at the official pump price of N86.50.

Some motorists, who spoke with NAN, appealed to the federal government to find lasting solution to the lingering fuel scarcity.

Bimpe Akinfenwa, a resident of Iyana Ipaja, who queued for fuel in a filling station at Mushin, lamented that she had spent hours in the station.

Segun Folarin, a motorist, urged the government to privatise the nation’s four refineries to enable Nigeria produce petroleum products at optimum capacity.

Folarin said the present state of the nation’s refineries was contributing to the scarcity of the product.

Folorunsho Alake, an independent oil marketer, had attributed the scarcity of petrol to increase in ex-depot price of the product.

Alake said most independent marketers were forced not to lift the product, because it would be difficult to sell at the official price of N86:50.

“How can I buy the product from private depot at N95 per litre and be expected to sell at N86:50; it will not be profitable” he said.

He urged the government to ensure that private depots comply with the NNPC template of ex-depot price of N77 per litre; so that independent marketers in Lagos would start loading from the depots.