Fuel queues returned to filling stations in Abuja on Monday, as the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) directed its members to withdraw services.
A PREMIUM TIMES correspondent who visited petrol stations Monday morning found that some of the stations were shut while others were besieged by motorcyclists, tricycle owners, as well as private and commercial drivers.
Many filling stations in Jabi, Wuse, Gwagwalada, Apo, Kubwa and Lugbe areas of the city sold the product at prices ranging from N660 to N680 while a litre of petrol was sold at N617 at the NNPC retail stations.
The development is said to have been triggered by the recent decision of NARTO to stop petroleum loading activities.
NARTO had in a letter dated 15 February, addressed to the General Secretary of the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas (NUPENG) and signed by its National President, Othman Yusuf, directed its members to withdraw their trucks from petroleum product loading activities with effect from Monday, 19 February.
The association noted that the decision to withdraw its operation was due to the high operational costs in the industry.
The association had recently raised concern over the high cost of diesel required to power its trucks for the transportation of petroleum products across the country.
In its letter, the association said it can no longer continue in business within the context of the current economic situation in the country.
“We are deeply constrained to seek the support and understanding of your union and members towards the excruciating challenges petroleum truck owners are facing with the high operational costs in the industry.
“As you are already aware of several efforts we have made to secure negotiations for appropriate and commensurate freight rates for our operations from all conceivable authorities concerned in the industry, most especially the Major Energy Marketers Association of Nigeria but which have received no positive responses from them.
“We have no other options but to write to inform you that the NARTO National Executive Council (NEC) has resolved to direct all our members not to make their petroleum trucks available for petroleum products loading activities with effect from Monday, 19th day of February 2024,” the association said.
Uncertainty
On Monday, this newspaper also found that some NNPC retail stations were shut.
NNPC Ltd filling station on Arab Road in Kubwa, Abuja, was closed on Monday morning.
At one of the NNPC outlets in the Central Business District along Wuse Road, and the NNPC Ltd opposite the NNPC Tower, there was a crowd Monday afternoon as motorists struggled to buy the product.
READ ALSO: Fuel scarcity looms as NARTO directs members to withdraw services
A car owner, Kingsley Oji, told PREMIUM TIMES that the return of fuel queues in Abuja was due to the recent announcement by the transport owners.
“The country is hard and the tanker owners just announced that they won’t be loading petroleum products for now. I think that is why we are seeing these queues that just resurfaced again. Things are not going well and these people are adding to our problems,” he said.
A long queue was also seen at the Conoil filling station along the Zuba-Kwbwa expressway.
“I’m surprised at this recent queue. I just hope we are not going into the era of scarcity again. Let the government settle these people’s demands because things are so difficult for Nigerians now,” Ojo Adeola, a taxi driver who was at the station, said.
Similarly, a NIPCO filling station at Bannex had a long queue on Monday afternoon.
In the past weeks, fuel queues also resurfaced in Lagos as residents besieged fuel stations in anticipation of yet another season of fuel scarcity.
Meanwhile, in its reaction, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) said there is no plan to increase the pump price of petrol.
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