Lagos residents groan as fuel scarcity bites hard

Queues dotted petrol stations in many parts of Lagos State, on Monday, April 29, 2024, as motorists battled to fuel their vehicles amidst scarcity of the product.

Commuters heading to various destinations were caught in the web, with fewer buses on the roads and some hiking fares.

Some students and their parents trekking early in the day after being unable to get buses on time.

A businessman, Kingsley Udeh, said he had to resort to trekking a long distance to get to his shop.

Udeh said: “It is really frustrating this morning. As I got to my bus stop, I was surprised at the number of people I saw.

“It was also obvious that there were no buses because of the number of people I saw waiting.

“I waited for some time but resorted to trekking when I saw others moving forward. This fuel situation should be addressed, as the hardship is much.”

A trader, Shade Agboola, said leaving her house in the morning to take her children to school and make her way to Lagos Island was hectic.

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Agboola said: “When I got to Gate this morning, the crowd I saw was alarming. After taking my children to school, I had to trek to Pako to board a bus going to Cele.

“The usual N200 fare we board from Pako to Cele now turned to N300.

“Also, I paid additional N100 to the N200 I normally pay to go to Aguda en route Lagos Island.

“Government should really help with this fuel situation.”

On her part, Maureen Uzochukwu, urged the government to address the fuel situation in the country to reduce the pains and suffering of citizens.

Uzochukwu said: “People are paying too much in the country.

“There is food inflation, everything is high and people are becoming sick due to the situation in the country.”

It would be recalled that the Chief Corporate Communications Officer of NNPCL, Olufemi Soneye, last Thursday, said the tightness in the supply of petrol being experienced in some areas across the country was as a result of logistics issues.

Soneye said the problem had been resolved, adding that the prices of petroleum products was not changing.

He also urged Nigerians to avoid panic buying, saying there was a sufficiency of products in the country.

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) had, however, said the petrol situation could take at least two weeks to normalise.

The Star