The fuel scarcity that started last week has worsened in different parts of the country, leading to a hike in the price of the commodity.

This has resulted in long queues and motorists sleeping overnight in their cars at filling stations, huge traffic, and many passengers being stranded at bustops due to the unavailability of buses.

The public relations officer of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (PMAN), Chinedu Ukadike, earlier revealed that the current scarcity was because “most of the refineries in Europe are undergoing turnaround maintenance, so sourcing petroleum products has become a bit difficult.”

Due to the breach in the international supply chain, which impacts domestic supply, the IPMAN spokesperson projected that “by next week or so, NNPC should be able to restore supply, and with another week, normalcy should return.”

Although the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) claimed all logistics issues that led to the scarcity had been resolved, findings by Peoples Gazette at various filling stations in Lagos on Monday showed no respite yet in sight.

The Gazette observed that while some fill stations at Agbado and Ogba are shut, others are open but crowded.

Mobil at Audra Bustop and Total around Meiran Bustop sell a litre of petrol at N610. However, a Total customer, Taju, said the outlet demanded a separate N200 charge from each customer with a keg for each litre of petrol bought.

An NNPC outlet in Fagba was seen selling the product for N598, and a Mobil filling station at Abule-Egba displayed N610 as the petrol price. However, a motorcyclist identified as Umaru revealed that Mobil sold the commodity for N630 per litre.

Most smaller private outlets in Lagos are under lock and key, but AS Salem Petroleum in Ogba sold the product at N730 per litre, while Gramsy Oil and Gas in Agege sold fuel for N610 per litre.

However, black market sellers of the commodity in Maryland and a few other areas of Lagos are said to be selling the petrol at a hiked fee from between N900 and N1,200 to customers.

The scarcity and subsequent hike in the commodity price in the metropolis have also resulted in a 100—or 200 per cent hike in commercial vehicle fares.

  While some private outlets in some parts of the metropolis are reportedly selling fuel at N1,100 per litre, Arise TV reports that in the Federal Capital Territory, the NNPCL and AP filling stations at Wuse Zone 1, on Sunday were crowded by customers, but some who could not wait patronised black marketers who sold 10 litres at N12,000.

A bike rider told The Gazette that he purchased the commodity at Harris Petrol Station in Mararaba at the black market rate of N1,100.

Outlets in some parts of Kwara State were also reported to be selling a litre of petrol from between N2,000 and N2,500. Residents of other northern states also shared unpalatable experience.

Reports reaching The Gazette also indicated that in parts of Sokoto, petrol is being sold for N2,000 per litre. In some filling stations in Kano, the price is between N1,400 and N1,600 per litre.

In Bauchi, some filling stations sell for N1,500 and above, depending on the outlet.