Fuel Scarcity To Linger Till After Elections – Oil Marketers

Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria has said that the fuel scarcity which is currently rocking Abuja and some other northern states will persist till after the election.

Fuel scarcity became severe on Monday in Abuja, Nasarawa, Niger, and other states in the North, as thousands of motorists besieged the few filling stations that dispensed the commodity in these areas.

Members of the Independent Marketers Association of Nigeria confirmed that about 90 percent of their filling stations were shut due to a lack of products.

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Similarly, the outlets of most major marketers were closed, while the few ones that dispensed petrol were greeted with massive queues of motorists.

The National Vice President, of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Abubakar Maigandi, told newsmen that the scarcity of petrol in the Northern part of the country and some other states, would drag on till next week.

“Most people thought that there would be crisis, so they stopped their trucks from going to lift products, but since there is no crisis so far, by next week, fuel should be available,” he said.

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Maigandi added, “It will clear after the governorship elections in states on Saturday, for when we have elections every time in Nigeria people will develop fear. So that is the challenge.

“When we tell our truck drivers to go to Lagos to lift products, they refuse because they are scared for their lives. So we hope that by next week it will clear, for after the elections, things should return to normal because there is enough product.

“This is why in areas such as Lagos and neighbouring states, they do not have this challenge we are seeing up North. There are no queues in Lagos and we are hopeful that the queues here should clear by next week.”

Also speaking, the Secretary, IPMAN, Abuja-Suleja, Mohammed Shuaibu, said tanker drivers and truck owners became apprehensive during the collation of results from the February 25, 2023 general elections.

“This affected the system and we expect the NNPC to hit the ground running immediately by ensuring that more trucks move down to the North between now and Friday, before the gubernatorial elections on Saturday.

“For when we go into such fuel scarcity situation like this, it takes time before it normalizes because of the distance of trucking this product from down South to Abuja and far away North.

“There would not be movement as from Saturday and this will lead to the continuation of fuel scarcity till next week. So the reason for the heavy queues is the general elections and this might continue till the elections are over,” Shuaibu stated.

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