By Chidiebere Ugwu
The management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited has said it is working with relevant stakeholders to end the tightness in fuel supply and distribution witnessed in some parts of Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja.
The national oil company in a statement signed by Olufemi Soneye, the Chief Corporate Communications Officer, said the seeming scarcity is as a result of a hitch in the discharge operations of a couple of vessels.
The statement reads: “The NNPC Ltd wishes to state that the tightness in fuel supply and distribution witnessed in some parts of Lagos and the FCT is as a result of a hitch in the discharge operations of a couple of vessels.
“The Company further states that it is working round the clock with all stakeholders to resolve the situation and restore normalcy in the operations”.
On Friday, many filling stations in Abuja and neighboring states like Niger, Nasarawa, and Kogi halted operations, leading to fuel queues.
Among the closed outlets were those managed by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) and other private retailers such as Salbas Oil, Eterna, and Gegu Oil on the Kubwa-Zuba expressway.
This disruption extended into central Abuja and parts kof Niger and Nasarawa states. In Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, filling stations also ceased dispensing fuel.
The situation resulted in long queues at operational outlets like AYM Shafa in Dei-Dei, Abuja, and the NNPC station in Zuba. Additionally, several stations in Lagos shut down on Friday, sparking concerns over potential fuel scarcity.
A tour of various filling stations revealed that most were not dispensing fuel, while the few that did sold at a steep N800 per litre. Oil marketers attributed the closures to both fuel shortages and apprehensions over the impending protest.
