NNPC Attributes Fuel Scarcity in Lagos and Abuja to Vessel Discharge Hitch.
NNPC spokesperson Olufemi Soneye made this announcement on Saturday in Abuja, explaining that the disruption has affected normal operations. The company is actively working with stakeholders to resolve the issue and restore normalcy.
“The NNPC wishes to state that the tightness in fuel supply and distribution witnessed in some parts of Lagos and the FCT is a result of a hitch in the discharge operations of a couple of vessels. The Company further states that it is working round the clock with all stakeholders to resolve the situation and restore normalcy in the operations,” Soneye said.
On Friday and Saturday, filling stations in Abuja, Lagos, Niger, Nasarawa, and Kogi states were shut as oil marketers expressed concerns over a planned nationwide protest set to commence on Thursday, August.
Retail outlets, including those operated by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited in Kubwa, Salbas Oil, Eterna, and Gegu Oil on the Kubwa-Zuba expressway, stopped dispensing fuel. Similar scenes were observed in the mainland of Lagos and parts of Niger and Nasarawa states. In Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, several filling stations were also closed, as noted by Nairametrics.
The closure of several filling stations in Lagos State on Saturday caused fears of an impending increase in transportation costs on Monday. Despite the removal of fuel subsidies in Nigeria, the nation continues to grapple with periodic fuel scarcity, undermining expectations that subsidy removal would stabilize fuel supply.
This recent scarcity marks the third instance in 2024, highlighting persistent volatility in the country’s fuel market. These recurrent issues have caused significant inconvenience to consumers and raised concerns about the underlying factors contributing to these disruptions.
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The belief that removing fuel subsidies would end fuel scarcity has become increasingly far-fetched. Many Nigerians had hoped that subsidy removal would lead to a more efficient and reliable fuel market, free from the frequent shortages that plagued the country in the past.
However, the current situation suggests that the root causes of fuel scarcity run deeper than subsidy policies. Structural inefficiencies, regulatory challenges, and market manipulation continue to undermine efforts to achieve a stable fuel supply.
