On Kachikwu’s April 7 deadline, fuel queues get longer in many parts of Lagos, Abuja

If by fuel queues disappearing in Lagos and Abuja on Thursday, Ibe Kachikwu, minister of state for petroleum resources, meant that petrol would be available, he obviously did not live up to expectation, as most of the filling stations without queues were the ones were fuel was not available.

In some cases, motorists even lined up in front of stations without fuel, aimlessly hoping that the product would be available at any moment.

Not even the threat of the state government to impound vehicles obstructing traffic scared those desperate to get the commodity.

Around 12: 30pm on Thursday, some officials of the Lagos State Transport Management Authority (LASTMA) were seen dispersing motorists at Mobil filing station on Kudirat Abiola way, Ikeja.

Some car owners and petrol users were hesitant to leave the station, appealing to the officials that they had been in the queue for hours.

Rafiu Adesiyan, a motorcyclist, who said he had spent two hours there, told TheCable that the station, which had been selling fuel since 9am, suddenly shut its operation without providing any explanation.

He said he had been to other parts of Ikeja, but he was unable to get the product.

Checks by TheCable showed that of the six filling stations between Ikeja and Ojota on Kudirat Abiola Way, only Total Filling station, after Oluyole bus top, had fuel, and the queues stretched beyond the station, compounding the traffic gridlock on the ever-busy road.

Between Ojota and Ketu on Ikorodu road, only MRS filling station had fuel, as the remaining three stations were locked.

The queue at the station was also long because people along Ogudu axis had no option but to get fuel at the station, since the NNPC station in the area was without the product.

A man, who simply identified himself as Charles, said he had been on a spot for two hours, lamenting that the queue was not moving. He said despite spending several hours in search of fuel, he was still unsure if he would be able to achieve his purpose.

“It has been very rowdy and I just hope that I will be able to get fuel here today,” he said.

“This is really worrisome. It is affecting my business; I have been tied up here for long and that’s how it has been in the last two months. You get fuel today, tomorrow you are back to square one.”

When asked if he felt disappointed in Kachikwu over the promise, he said: “Me? How can I be disappointed? Was there any promise in the first place? Do I take these people seriously? Are we not all in this country? Please forget about those fake promises.”

For, Kazeem Ibrahim, a cab operator, the situation is no doubt bad, yet he believes the government is capable of making amends.

“We have been suffering like this for long. My finances have been badly affected since this issue started, because I queue at the station for a day, and work for a maximum of two days before returning to the station again to queue for fuel,” he said.

“I have lost the number of times that I slept at the station and that is no guarantee for getting fuel. Today is even better, because I have spent only three hours here, and this MRS station gives hope, unlike Total that is more interested in Jerrycan sale, while NNPC mostly sells once in a week.

On Kachikwu’s promise, he said: “Honestly, it is discouraging that the minister couldn’t match his words with action. From what we are seeing now, the situation could continue throughout the month. This is not really good for this government.

“We know they are trying, but they need to put in their best. We just can’t wait for things to improve like the government of change promised. We are appealing to the president to find a lasting solution to this fuel scarcity, because the economy depends largely on fuel. I still believe that they can make amends.”

Out of five filling stations at Egbeda in Alimosho local government area, the only station where the product was being sold was Oando at Cele bus stop, and the queues also obstructed the free flow of traffic.

In Ayobo, still in Alimosho, none of the filling stations had petrol, even the popular Fashola Larafas station, which has two branches in the area.

Fuel was available at Forte Oil at Lekki roundabout in Eti Osa local government, but the cars still lined up in a manner that caused gridlock; the situation was not so different at Forte Oil on Oworonshoki expressway in Gbagada.

In Ikeja, Total filling station on Mobalaji Bank Anthony Way, adjacent Sheraton, had fuel, and the length of the queue is capable of discouraging the most optimistic of fellows.

On Obafemi Awolowo Way in Ikeja, none of the filling stations had fuel; even the Mobil Station near Airport Hotel, which sells frequently, was empty.

SCARCITY CONTINUES IN ABUJA AS WELL

‎Just like in Lagos, queues of motorists desperate to buy petrol snaked around most petrol stations in Abuja on Thursday. The queues grew in preponderance around NNPC petrol stations at noon.

At A A Rano petrol station, which is at AYA Asokoro, the queue of motorists “panting” to buy petrol lingered, competing with similar queues at Conoil, Central Business District; Total, zone 4 junction; NNPC petrol station, Kubwa, and NNPC Karu.

‎However, there was a seeming lull in the number of cars lined up at the pumps in the evening.

‎Also, the queues stretched around Forte oil petrol station at Maitama, and at Total petrol station at the Central Business District.

The situation was the same at Total petrol station at Area 11 Junction.

However, a cabbie, who said he had visited some petrol stations before getting lucky at‎ Total petrol station situated around NNPC towers, told TheCable that the icy situation is showing signs of improvement.

“Last week, most stations did not have fuel‎, but this week is better. At least, we can buy fuel except for the long queues,” he said.

The effort of the government to end the fuel crisis has not been truly felt.

On Tuesday, Justin Ezeala, executive director, supply and distribution of the Pipeline Products and Marketing Company (PPMC), had claimed that  seven cargoes of PMS had arrived and the company was set to begin massive importation of the product to meet local demand.

A vessel, which carried about 27 million metric tonnes of petrol, berthed at the Petroleum Wharf, Apapa, Lagos on Wednesday, with the hope of discharging its content by Thursday.

But what do all these mean to the common man if he still has to go through undue hardship to get fuel?