Fuel scarcity has worsened across Lagos, Ogun States, as filling stations now sell Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), popularly known as petrol, at N185 per litre or more.
This was confirmed by Nairametrics from several motorists that spoke with our analysts.
According to them, aside from the new illegal pump price, they had to tip the fuel attendants with N400 or more depending on their bargaining power.
What they are saying about the scarcity
A banker, Sanmi Oni, said, “I dont understand the reason we have found ourselves at this spot again. I had to pay N185/litre for fuel yesterday and was forced to bribe the attendant with N400 before he agreed to sell in my Jerry cans. This is pathetic.”
Gbenga Osho, another motorist, said, After I had been on the queue for about 2 hours and it was my turn, the station along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway stopped selling fuel.
“When they resumed selling the commodity one hour later, it was increased from N165/litre to N190/litre and we had no choice but to pay because I had an important appointment to keep. The attendants and owners of the stations are cheats, as they are only exploiting Nigerians.”
Commercial bus drivers hike prices
The owners of commercial buses have also taken advantage of the development to increase their fares, as commuters were left stranded in various parts of Lagos and Ogun, especially the border towns due to the fuel scarcity.
At Magboro (Ogun State), passengers were made to pay N300 to Berger, compared to the normal fare of between N100 and N150. From Oshodi to Obalende, passengers paid N500, compared to the usual fare of between N300 to N400 when there was no fuel scarcity.
At Obalende, many commuters who were either heading for Falomo, Lekki, Victoria Island or the Ajah axis of the state were seen stranded at various bus stops.
Some of the commuters who eventually got vehicles to their destinations had to pay between N500 to N700 to Lekki and Ajah, compared to the usual price of N200 for Lekki passengers and N400 for Ajah passengers.
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Nairametrics had reported that the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) had explained that the decision of some of its members to shut down their operations was because they no longer want to operate at a loss as well as not want to operate under hostile conditions.
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The closure of these petrol stations has led to the scarcity of the product and the appearance of long queues of vehicles at these stations on Monday.
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This new development was confirmed by the Chairman of IPMAN, Lagos Satellite Depot, Ejigbo, Mr Akin Akinrinade, to journalists in Lagos.
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Akinrinade said while the government had fixed N165 per litre as the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), the current realities in the market showed that the minimum product should be sold at a retail price of N180 per litre at the fuel stations.
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Akinrinade said that the current scarcity being witnessed in Lagos is because a majority of petrol stations in the state are owned by IPMAN members who are finding it difficult to operate in a hostile environment.