Fuel Queues Will Be Free By Wednesday — NNPCL

Nigerians have been reassured by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd. (NNPCL) that the current fuel shortage and queues will end by Wednesday, May 1.

Olufemi Soneye, the NNPCL's chief communications officer, made this announcement on Tuesday in Lagos.

Soneye claims that the company now has more than 1.5 billion liters of products available, enough to endure for a minimum of thirty days.

He said: “Unfortunately, we experienced a three- day disruption in distribution due to logistical issues, which has since been resolved.

“However, as you know, overcoming such disruptions typically requires double the amount of time to return to normal operations,.

“Some folks are taking advantage of this situation to maximize profits.

“Thankfully, product scarcity has been minimal lately, but these folks might be exploiting the situation for unwarranted gain

“The lines will be cleared out between today and tomorrow,” Soneye assured.

Similarly, citing the NNPCL's statements, Mr. Hammed Fashola, National Vice President of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), expressed optimism that the queues in Lagos and Ogun would thin out this week.

However, Fashola said that because of the distance to Lagos, the queues in Abuja might get a little longer.

“The information available to us from the NNPCL was that there was a logistics problem, and when that happens, it will disrupt the supply chain.

“That might be a delay in the movement of ships from the mother vessel to the daughter vessel before it gets to the depot tanks.

“Before we can correct that, surely it will take some days. I think by Tuesday or Wednesday, there will be more products available for lifti'ng by marketers.

“It might take time before it can ease off in Abuja, considering the distance to Lagos and the bad roads; Lagos might be calm this new week,” Fashola assured.

According to a NAN correspondent who was on the scene on Monday, commuters and stranded drivers in Lagos have voiced concerns about the city's ongoing gasoline shortage.

A few commercial vehicles have increased fares due the scarcity.

There were long queues at most filling stations in Lagos, and the scenario indicated that very few of them were selling.

Akowonjo Road, Bariga, Fola-Agoro, Abule-Egba and its surroundings, Abbatoir Road in Agege, and the well-known Lasu-Igando Road all had the same condition, according to NAN.

There were many meters-long lines of cars outside the few gas stations that provided fuel.

Petrol lines were visible on Monday around the city at stations along Ikorodu Road, including Mobil, NIPCO, TotalEnergies, Forte Oil, and ConOil.

Stretched around 500 meters from the pumps, North West at Maryland, Gbagada, NIPCO along Ijede road, Ikorodu, and TotalEnergies near the NNPC bus stop in Ejigbo.