Nigerians groan over long fuel queues amid NNPCL assurance

Residents of Abuja, Nasarawa and other surrounding states have continued to groan over long fuel queues in filling stations amid Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited’s assurance to boost supply.

Since last week, motorists in affected cities have lamented the pain of queueing for hours to get fuel.

This has been the situation across filling stations along Kubwa Expressway, Airport Road/lugbe axis, and Nyanya-Jikwoyi Road in the past few days.

While many filling stations sell fuel above N700 per liter, NNPCL retail stations sell for N617.

Consequently, some transporters in the Nation’s capital have hiked transport fares.

A fare for a distance from Airport Junction to Kubwa increased to N700 from N500.

From Berger to Kubwa increased to N700 from N500, DAILY POST gathered.

Benjamin Olatunji, a resident of Abuja said the recurring fuel scarcity in Nigeria was frustrating.

“It is frustrating. We keep having scarcity in a country that produces crude oil. I have been in the queue for nearly 3 hours but have yet to get the product,” he lamented.

Rukiyatu Adamu said adding fuel queues to the economic hardship Nigerians were facing was uncalled for.

“Honestly, Nigerians may be pushed into the Kenya situation if the economic hardship continues unabated.

“I can imagine a country producing crude but importing its by-product, fuel. To make matters worse, we keep having the issue of fuel scarcity.

“It is terrible, to say the least. I practically spent my whole day at the NNPCL filling station along Kubwa Expressway on Monday,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has urged motorists not to engage in panic buying or hoarding of fuel.

In a statement by the company’s spokesperson, Olufemi Soneye on Monday, it blamed the looming scarcity on logistics and flood challenges.

“Already, loading has commenced in areas where these challenges have subsided, and we are hoping the situation will continue to improve in the coming days and full normalcy will be restored,” NNPCL said.