Fuel Scarcity hits Harder in Abuja

NNPC limits supply

NNPC limits supply depots and instructs operators to prioritize fuel loading for Abuja.

Long queues emerge in Lagos, Ogun, and other areas, with stations hiking pump prices amid thriving black market activity.

Despite NNPC’s claims of resolving logistic issues, Nigerians in Lagos and beyond continue to struggle to obtain fuel, with many stations closed over the weekend.

The situation is expected to deteriorate further in the South-West, including Ogun, Oyo, and Osun, as NNPC mandates fuel trucks to serve the Federal Capital Territory before other regions.

Consequently, most trucks departing from the depots in Lagos since Friday were bound for Abuja. Officials from NNPC and marketers informed our correspondents that there was a specific instruction for depots to prioritize servicing filling stations in Abuja before any other region in the country.

Concerns were raised about the possibility of queues persisting for the next three days in the South-West.

Oil sector sources revealed that hundreds of trucks loaded on Saturday were dispatched to Abuja in accordance with NNPC’s directive.

The root cause

The root cause of the irregular supply stems from NNPC’s insufficient fuel imports. Despite financial resources or other factors, NNPC encounters occasional disruptions in its supply chain.

For instance, as of Saturday, only one tanker was present at the NNPCL Jetty in Apapa, which can hold about 40,000 metric tonnes, while the other three reception points had no PMS vessels.

“Whenever NNPC faces importation disruptions, these issues arise. They may attempt to manage it initially, but eventually, the problems become evident.

Last week, they attributed it to logistics, but the issue lies deeper in importation glitches,” remarked a source familiar with the situation.