Fuel queues have resurfaced in major cities across Nigeria as citizens gear up for the August first Nationwide protest to call for better governance in the West African Nation.
It was learnt that marketers in different states have begun shutting down their filling stations for fear of facilities being disrupted during the planned protest in the country.
Across the federal capital, Teritiory filling stations stepped in to dispense Premium Motor Spirit in retail outlets, which left a heavy burden on the stations selling the commodity. Some filling stations visited by reporters include the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited in Kubwa, Salbas Oil, Eterna, and Gegu Oil, among others located on the Kubwa-Zuba expressway.
Stations left with high burden due to the shut include AYM Shafa in the Dei-Dei end of the Kubwa-Zuba expressway, Abuja, and the NNPC in Zuba, Niger State.
Our reporter toured the country and noticed that filling stations selling the commodity have sold the product between N800 and N900 while residents spend hours waiting to get it.
The Secretary of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Abuja-Suleja, Mohammed Shuaibu, who spoke to the press, noted the major issue for the closure of the stations is the fear of the end product of the planned nationwide protest against bad governance.
He explained that though some marketers may not have the product to dispense, the current situation in the country has created tension for the marketers.
The Minister, who pleaded with the country’s youth to shelve the planned protest, established that dialogue and constructive engagement were the best ways to solve the country’s present problems. According to him, the country’s present problems are not alien to the government.
The Minister of State Petroleum Resource Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, in a statement signed by his media aide Nneamaka Okafor, further stated that the president, who won the 2023 elections through the reward hope, has planned to reshape the country “through thought-out policies and programmes.”
The minister who warned residents about the hijacking of the protest noted that democratic protests are a right for citizens but could have negative effects.
He further explained that the president is currently addressing the country’s challenges with concrete steps in every sector, which will be felt soon.
Other states where the current fuel scarcity has struck are Ogun, Kwara Benue, Osun and Enugu.
Recall that in May 2023, the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in his inaugural address, explained that the government would stop paying for fuel. This announcement has been greeted by rising fuel prices and frequent resurgent fuel guessing in filling stations across the country.
