The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has shed light on the lengthy queues observed at some filling stations in Lagos State, attributing the situation to what it described as a “brief distribution issue.”
Earlier reports highlighted long queues at various filling stations in Lagos on Monday, raising concerns among residents about a potential resurgence of fuel scarcity. The queues were particularly noticeable along the Ikorodu Road, with the Total Filling Station at the Mobolaji Bank Anthony Way experiencing congestion that caused traffic jams around the Ikeja axis. Additionally, several filling stations along the Ikeja axis, through Obafemi Awolowo Road in Ikeja, were observed to be closed, while those along Ogunnusi Road, inbound Berger, reportedly did not sell petrol to customers. Furthermore, filling stations owned by the NNPCL along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway did not dispense fuel as of Monday evening.
However, addressing the situation, NNPCL spokesperson Femi Soneye reassured the public that there was no impending fuel scarcity and that the company did not face supply issues. Soneye explained that the observed tightness in certain areas was due to a temporary distribution issue in Lagos, which has since been resolved. He emphasized that NNPCL’s products remained readily available despite the localized challenges experienced.
Similarly, the National Vice Chairman of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Hammed Fashola, acknowledged the queues but suggested that they might be attributed to panic-buying among customers rather than an actual scarcity of fuel. Fashola indicated that he would investigate the situation further to ascertain the underlying cause.
Meanwhile, the Executive Secretary of the Major Energies Marketers Association of Nigeria, Clement Isong, stated that he was not aware of the situation as he was not present in Lagos at the time of reporting.
