The crippling scarcity of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol, that has plagued the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) for over a month, intensified over the weekend, spreading across the country. This escalating fuel crisis has led to long queues at filling stations, with the product selling for over N1,000 per litre in some areas, marking a level of scarcity not witnessed in recent years.
The fuel shortage severely disrupted commercial and social activities over the weekend in Abuja, Lagos, Kaduna, Kano, Port Harcourt, Niger, Nasarawa, and many other states. Numerous filling stations were forced to shut down due to the severe undersupply of PMS, exacerbating the situation.
While the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) attributed the shortages to “distribution” challenges, the company has not provided specific details about the root cause of the current crisis, which has persisted in Abuja and surrounding areas for over four weeks. NNPCL also denied allegations of owing international oil traders $6.8 billion and failing to remit revenues to the Federation Account since January.
In Abuja, black market prices for petrol reached as high as N12,000 for a 10-litre container, while private filling stations sold the product for between N700 and N1,050 per litre, depending on the location. NNPC mega stations in the capital continued to sell at the official price of N617 per litre, but with queues stretching several kilometers.
The fuel shortage led to a sharp increase in transport fares, with prices doubling on many routes within Abuja. From the NNPC mega station on the Gwarimpa axis of the Zuba-Kubwa Expressway to Conoil and Total filling stations near the national oil company’s headquarters in the city center, the situation remained the same: long queues, limited supply, and mounting frustration.
The NNPC mega station on Olusegun Obasanjo Way in Zone 1 was open, as was the station opposite GSM Village, though both were besieged by extremely long queues. Other stations in the area, including the Total filling station, remained dry. The NNPC filling station in Mabushi was closed when Abuja City Journal visited.
On Arise Television over the weekend, Abubakar Maigandi, president of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), attributed the situation to “panic buying.” He explained that a recent protest had caused most depots to halt loading for nearly a week, leading to the current shortage.
“There was a protest for almost seven days, and most of the depots were not loading. During the protest, we informed all our marketers to sell their products within 24 hours to avoid any adverse effects on petrol purchases,” Maigandi said. “Immediately after the protest was called off, we rushed to load the product, and some of the trucks are already on their way. However, we faced delays in moving the vessels due to rain, but that issue has been resolved.”
In a separate conversation with Abuja City Journal, Maigandi noted that the NNPCL had not provided clear information about the actual cause of the supply shortage, beyond citing logistics issues. He emphasized that petrol is the primary product keeping his members in business, and the current scarcity was taking a toll on them.
The fuel scarcity also hit Lagos hard, with most major filling stations remaining closed. The few that opened were overwhelmed with long human and vehicular queues that clogged major roads. Some marketers, speaking anonymously with Abuja City Journal, blamed the ongoing scarcity on the government’s handling of fuel subsidies, despite President Bola Tinubu’s claims that subsidies had been removed.
Marketers explained that they were forced to shut down their stations because the product was not available. They argued that only Tinubu had the power to resolve the scarcity, not the NNPCL, which remains the sole importer of petrol and the government’s risk bearer.
Abuja City Journal observed that in Lagos, on Awolowo Road in Ikoyi, only the two NNPC mega stations were operational, but they were inundated with desperate motorists and jerry-can-bearing buyers, causing severe traffic jams. The Total filling station on Mobolaji Bank Anthony Way in Ikeja was dry, while the Northwest station at Maryland Bus Stop was open but plagued by long queues that disrupted traffic on Ikorodu Road.
Elsewhere in Lagos, the situation was equally dire. At the Cele-Okota axis, only Pinnacle filling station was selling fuel on Sunday, while others, including Conoil, Rainoil, Emadeb, Total, and MRS, were shut. At Gbagada, near the foot of the Third Mainland Bridge, only Northwest Petroleum was selling, leading to heavy queues and traffic congestion.
The scarcity led to skyrocketing prices, with NNPC stations in Lagos selling fuel for between N650 and N700 per litre, while private marketers charged between N750 and N900. On the black market, prices soared to N1,500 to N2,500 per litre, depending on the location and the desperation of buyers.
Expressing their frustration, some marketers told Abuja City Journal that the root of the problem was the government’s approach to subsidies. One marketer, a member of the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN), stated that the issue would persist as long as subsidies remained in place and the government refused to address the matter transparently.
“The problem is the subsidy,” he said. “Subsidy is heavy in the system, but the government keeps denying it. Have you checked the cost of petrol in other countries? No marketer will buy and sell below the cost price. Only NNPC can import and sell below its landing cost because it is the government, and it gets dollars at the official rate. No other marketer has that advantage.
“We’ve said it repeatedly: subsidy is not sustainable. It kills competition, erodes investor confidence, and breeds corruption. Once you genuinely remove the subsidy from petrol, scarcity will disappear. The market will operate on a willing buyer, willing seller basis.
“So, people should stop blaming NNPC. They are simply following government directives. The government made NNPC the sole importer of petrol and the risk bearer. No NNPC chief executive can defy the president’s orders.”
