Motorists could see a relief from long fuel queues this week, as the loading of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) has restarted at Lagos depots. This development comes after a period of disruption caused by nationwide hunger protests.
Since Thursday, depot owners had suspended operations due to safety concerns amid the protests. Truck drivers were particularly wary of transporting fuel, fearing potential attacks.
Oil marketers had previously attributed the resurgence of fuel queues to the halted supply by dealers who sought to protect their assets during the protests.
About two weeks ago, several states, including the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, experienced significant fuel queues. The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) had cited “a hitch in the discharge operations of a couple of vessels” as the cause.
As efforts were underway to resolve the initial supply issues, the protests against hunger and economic hardship intensified, further disrupting petrol distribution. This led to the reappearance of queues in various states.
On Monday, sources at the depots confirmed that trucks had resumed loading on Sunday and Monday, ready to distribute petrol nationwide. Officials from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and other government agencies supervised the loading process at the depots.
An official disclosed, “NMDPRA and other officials have been on duty since Thursday when the protest started, just that depots are being careful of the security of trucks and drivers on the road.” Another source added that the relative calm in the protests, particularly in Lagos, had facilitated the resumption of loading operations since Sunday.
Despite this progress, it was noted that the queues at filling stations might not immediately disappear, although an improvement is expected from Monday onward. Additionally, the pump price of petrol is anticipated to remain high until the supply situation stabilizes further.
Empowered NewsWire reported that many filling stations in urban areas remained closed due to the ongoing protests and fear of violence. The resultant fuel scarcity last week led to inflated prices, with black marketers selling petrol for as high as N1,300 to N1,500 per litre in parts of Lagos and Ogun states.
NNPC’s Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Olufemi Soneye, had earlier explained that the tight supply and distribution issues in Lagos and Abuja were due to operational hitches. He assured that the company was “working round the clock with all stakeholders to resolve the situation and restore normalcy in the operations.”
