Lagos motorists decry fuel scarcity at Easter

fuel scarcity

Some motorists in Lagos on Thursday decried the scarcity of petrol in most filling stations in the metropolis, saying it will affect those travelling for Easter holidays.

Long queue of jerry cans at a petrol station as fuel scarcity bites harder, yesterday. In separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos, they appealed to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to ensure adequate supply of petrol to filling stations.

Tunde Akinsola, civil servant with the Lagos State Government, said that he had visited more than 20 filling stations in Lagos without getting the product.

Mr Akinsola said that he opted to buy from the black market at N350 per litre when he could not get the product to buy at filling stations “I left my house around 8.00 a.m. looking for petrol so that I can take my children out during Easter holidays.

“I have spent more than four hours looking for petrol from Oyingbo to Yaba to Onipanu and Fadeyi. There is no filling station selling petrol.

“But, I was forced to buy from the black market to ensure that I have petrol in my car,” he said.

Mr Tajudeen Irawo, a commercial driver, said that he had been on queue at the Mobil Filling Station in Orile since 8.00 a.m, but left four hours later because the queue was not moving. Irawo said that scarcity of the product would affect his movement during Easter holidays.

Mrs Josephine Okoro, a residing in Iyana-Ipaja area of Lagos, said that she had been on queue at the station since 10.00 a.m. on the assurance that she would get petrol because the queue was orderly.

Okoro commended the management of the filling station for maintaining orderliness while dispensing petrol.

Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, had on Wednesday, told Nigerians that the fuel scarcity would linger till May.