Fresh scarcity of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as petrol has brought back queues to Lagos, Abuja and other major cities across the country as many motorist were forced to buy a litre of fuel at nearly N1000.
The scarcity experienced over the weekend led to disruption of commercial and social activities in Abuja and the country’s commercial capital of Lagos, as well as Kaduna, Kano, Port Harcourt, Niger, Nasarawa, and several other states.
Many filling stations shut down their operations due to the severe undersupply of PMS.
In Lagos, the current petrol scarcity assumed an alarming dimension, with most of the major filling stations shut while a few that opened for business were flooded by long human and vehicular queues that stretched along major roads.
It was observed on Awolowo Road in Ikoyi, Lagos, only the two NNPC mega stations were selling the product, but with heavy queues of desperate motorists and jerry-can-bearing buyers that crammed the facilities, causing heavy traffic gridlock on the busy road.
The Total filling station on Mobolaji Bank Anthony Way, Ikeja, was not selling, while the Northwest filling stations at Maryland Bus Stop was open, but with heavy queues that caused traffic congestion on Ikorodu Road towards Palmgroove.
The story was the same in Surulere, where most of the filling stations were either shut or open for skeletal trading with heavy queues.
Amid the scarcity yesterday, NNPC sold between N650 and N700 per litre at its stations in Lagos.
But private marketers that were open sold between N750 and N900. Black marketers, who sell in jerry-cans, sold as high as N1,500 to N2,500 per litre, depending on location and desperation of the buyer.
In Osogbo, Osun State, petrol was unavailable in most filling stations observed in Ayetoro, Old Garage, and Ota Efun Area, while a handful of independent marketers dispensing fuel sold the product for N800/litre.
Motorists and commuters decried the increase in petrol prices in Edo State. Independent marketers sold it for between N830 and N890/litre in the state capital while the outlets owned by major marketers sold for between N680 and N688/litre.
The cost of transportation worsened in Uyo as petrol sold for between N900 and N950/litre in the metropolis.
Petrol scarcity in Bauchi State did not change as customers stayed in long queues to buy the product on Sunday.
Residents of Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital, lamented the hike in the price of PMA and the scarcity of the product.
The scarcity was also pronounced in Sokoto State as many residents expressed frustration over the development.
The fuel scarcity in the Kaduna metropolis and its environs continued unabated on Sunday, causing untold hardship to motorists and other road users.
In Benue State, petrol was sold at between N960 and N980/litre in many filling stations.
Residents of Gombe State lamented the increase in the cost of PMS across most filling stations in the state.
Petrol remained scarce in the Federal Capital Territory ( FCT) yesterday. Apart from some NNPCL retail outlets, only a few independent filling stations sold the product.
While NNPCL sold for N617 per litre, some independent marketers sold for between N625 per litre to N996 per litre. Black marketers sold 10 litres at N1,000 per litre for N11,000 in plastic containers.
Some drivers sacrificed their Sunday worship for petrol sourcing, leaving their homes as early as 6:00am to queue in different stations.
Motorists and commuters in Ekiti State lamented the increase in the pump price, which has been fluctuating at stations across the state.
Most independent petrol stations visited in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, sold petrol for between N850 to N900/litre while major marketers sold for between N650 and 680 per litre.
The situation has forced motorists to jerk up the transportation fare.
A motorist simply identified as Yaro, who plies the Ado Ekiti/ Ilesha route, lamented the situation, saying he purchased fuel at the rate of N850 in a private petrol station in Ado-Ekiti.
Filing stations sold petrol for N950 per litre in Dutse, the state capital, and many towns in the state.
In Enugu and its environs, petrol was sold for between N880 and N920 per litre and N1,300 on the black market. But the product was available in most petrol stations in the Enugu metropolis.
Mobil, Total, among other mega stations sold for between N690 and N760 per litre.
The hike in the pump price of PMS has led to an increase in transport fare by commercial drivers, as those plying Agbani Road / Holy Ghost Roads, who charged N200, increased the fare to N400.