The lingering scarcity of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), otherwise called petrol, has persisted in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and other hinterland states despite the receded floodwater in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, which was initially blamed for the scarcity.
The situation has lasted for more than 30 days in the country’s capital city, Abuja, and in some cities majorly in the North.
Although the federal government had attributed the scarcity to flooding, which cut off fuel transporters and other commuters on the Lokoja highway, indications have also emerged that there are other factors responsible for the lingering situation, reports Daily Trust.
Starting from the first week of October, commuters in Abuja got the indication of a looming petrol scarcity as various retail outlets gradually ran out of the product, while some that had it began an upward price adjustment.
Soon, black marketers resurfaced in the streets of Abuja, selling at N250 per litre initially before it rose to N350 at the prevailing rate. At the initial period, some marketers told Daily Trust on Sunday that there was a drop in loading at the depots, mostly located in Lagos and Warri in Delta State, among other coastal areas.
The troubles of fuel consumers worsened as they began to queue for hours to get the product. The fuel scarcity soon spread to more states in the hinterland.
The national vice president of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Alhaji Abubakar Maigandi, said product supply from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Ltd to the private depots was limited.
“There is a little scarcity in the depots where we are loading. They have even increased their rates. Now, they are selling for N170 to N175/litre instead of N148/litre,” he noted.
In spite of assurances from relevant authorities, the situation deteriorated in mid October with the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) formally confirming the petrol scarcity in Abuja and other states in the North, which it said was caused by the flooding in Lokoja.
In a statement, the NMDPRA noted, “Flood has submerged a greater part of the city and grounded all vehicular movements. This has affected the distribution of petroleum products to the Federal Capital Territory and environs.”
The agency said trucking via alternative routes was ongoing as part of measures to mitigate the situation. However, on its part, the NNPC Ltd said it had 30 day products’ sufficiency.
“The current queue situation in some parts of Abuja and its environs is as a result of delays in arrival of fuel trucks. This is happening as a result of heavy flooding that has submerged parts of the highway passing through Lokoja, Kogi State and also an incidence of a failed road section around Badegi-Agaie highway in Niger State.
“Consequently, vehicles, especially fuel tankers, are finding alternative roads to get to their intended destinations,” it stated.
As the water receded in Lokoja, access was gradually restored, but a massive gridlock began, with trucks spending nearly a day to cross a section of less than 500 meters at the Koton Karfe axis, near the Lokoja bridge. The fuel queue continued across Abuja and states with prices reaching over N250/l at retail stations.
Some tanker drivers also blamed the persistent gridlock in Lokoja.
“The situation has not ended, but more tankers are plying the route from Lagos. Tankers spend over eight hours to pass through Koton Karfe, where the river overflowed,” Musa Garba, a tanker driver said in mid-October
