Filling stations in Abuja and neighbouring states of Niger, Nasarawa, and Kogi, were shut on Friday as oil marketers expressed worry over the planned nationwide protest.
Retail outlets, including those operated by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited in Kubwa, Salbas Oil, Eterna, and Gegu Oil, among others located on the Kubwa-Zuba expressway, stopped dispensing fuel.
The same scene was also witnessed inside Abuja and parts of Niger and Nasarawa states.
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Oil marketers told our correspondent that filling stations in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, were also shut.
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The development led to fuel queues resurfacing in outlets dispensing fuel like AYM Shafa in the Dei-Dei end of the Kubwa-Zuba expressway, Abuja, and the NNPC in Zuba, Niger State.
Also, several filling stations in some parts of Lagos State were closed on Friday, creating fears of impending fuel scarcity.
It was gathered that most filling stations were not dispensing, while the few that attended to customers sold at N800 per litre.
Although some oil marketers said the closure of some retail outlets on Friday was due to the unavailability of fuel, others attributed it to apprehension over the planned nationwide protest.
Long queues in Ogun
In Ogun State, the situation at filling stations has reached a crisis point as motorists face long queues amid looming fuel scarcity.
Our correspondent visited the Magboro and Ibafo areas along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, where a chaotic scene unfolded as vehicles including motorcycles, cars, and commercial buses, lined up for petrol.
At Quest Filling Station in Magboro, the sight was alarming as the queue snaked for over a hundred meters, with motorists struggling for their turn to purchase fuel.
Of the three petrol pumps available, only one was operational, exacerbating the delay for those waiting.
Saheed, a commercial bus driver en route to Ibadan, expressed his frustration after spending over an hour in the line.
“I have been here for more than one hour. I didn’t know I would meet such a long queue. Although one of our drivers mentioned a smaller queue earlier, I didn’t anticipate this. My passengers are already complaining, but there’s nothing I can do. I can’t use my urine to drive them to Ibadan. We just have to wait for our turn,” he lamented.
The situation at NIPCO Filling Station in Magboro was also alarming. Diesel was priced at N1,200 per litre, while petrol cost N675 per litre. Out of the five available petrol pumps, four were operational.
Meanwhile, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, has called for calm.
He also urged Nigerians to avoid participating in the proposed protest.
Speaking on the closure of retail outlets in parts of the country, the Secretary of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Abuja-Suleja, Mohammed Shuaibu, said, “Some of them may not have products to dispense due to unavailability.
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