Fuel scarcity persists as protest hinders petrol loading at depots

• Published On: 03 August 2024 at 17:54

Fuel scarcity worsened as a result of the ongoing hunger protest, which began on Thursday and halted petrol filling at Lagos depots.

According to The Punch, the depot owners rejected to open for business because they were concerned about probable violence.

Recall that fuel scarcity began last weekend in Abuja, Lagos, Ogun, Niger, and other states, pushing petrol prices to around N1,000 per litre.

Black marketers took advantage of the situation, cashing out in some places, with litres of petrol selling for as much as N1,300.

It was reported on Wednesday that the fuel vessels were arriving one after the other to discharge gasoline.

However, operators stated that in order to ensure nationwide gasoline distribution, more tankers will need to arrive at ports over the weekend.

However, once the protest began on Thursday, the depot owners reportedly refused to load the cargo for security reasons.

According to an operator who requested anonymity, members of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers were willing to assist the depots in loading fuel, but the depot operators were hesitant to risk it.

"There were no activities at the Lagos depots on Thursday and Friday, for obvious reasons. One, we are still dealing with a shortage of merchandise, and two, there is a security risk on the roadways after loading due to the hardship demonstration.

"NUPENG is ready to assist depots with loading, but the security situation is a concern. "Hopefully, if the situation improves later today, loading can resume tomorrow," the insider said.

It was previously claimed that tanker drivers planned to continue loading fuel despite the protest.

Yusuf Othman, President of the National group of Transport Owners, stated in an interview that he had urged members of the group to continue lifting fuel but to be careful.

According to him, NARTO will not participate in the planned demonstration and will continue to operate.

"NARTO is not affiliated with this planned protest; we do not support it and will not participate in it. We have instructed our members to continue their current work. Nobody should park their truck since a decline in business would result in a lot of scarcity, and we don't want to become involved.

"Everybody is terrified, and now is the time when we should be able to service everyone to ensure fuel is distributed around the country. We have advised our guys to keep up the good work; they simply need to be cautious," Othman said.