Fuel queues emerge in Lagos, persist in Abuja despite assurance by NNPC

Ebun Francis| Fuel queues returned to Lagos on Tuesday morning with vehicles stretching across some parts of the state.

Some fuel stations were locked while a few which were opened had long queues of motorists waiting to buy fuel.

Filling stations in both the Island and mainland parts of the state were seen with long queues.

The situation is not different in the capital city, Abuja, and surrounding states where the majority of filling stations were shut and motorists spent hours in the sun struggling to buy from the few that were open.

These fuel queues have emerged in Lagos despite the assurance by Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) over a week ago that the company has sufficient stock of Premium Motor Spirit, otherwise known as petrol, to meet the needs of Nigerians.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Group Managing Director, Group Public Affairs Division of the NNPC, Garba Deen Muhammad, the corporation warned against panic-buying and assured that it remains deeply committed to ensuring energy security for the country.

Some reports have attributed the current petrol scarcity to efforts to recall ‘contaminated petrol products’ in circulation.

In a video circulating online, a petrol attendant was seen complaining about how adulterated petrol supplied to the station is damaging motorists’ cars and motorcycle engines.

But NNPC spokesman, Garba Deen Muhammad, has since dismissed the reports and assured the oil giant would issue an official statement concerning the issue.