Fuel Situation Worsens In Lagos

The fuel scarcity situation in Lagos got worse in the last three days as filling stations hiked pump prices by over 100 per cent in some places, resulting in a sharp increase in transport fares.

InsideBusiness findings showed that the hike in both fuel price and transport fare rose highest in the Badagry axis of Lagos, particularly along Badagry-Mile 2 route where some filling stations sold a litre of fuel for N400.

Precisely, at Arigbabu Oil and Gas, a filling station close to Ibiye Bus Stop Badagry Road, a litre of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) also called fuel, was sold for N400 as at Monday evening but dropped to N300 by Tuesday and further down to N270 by mid day on Wednesday, November 30, 2022.

Our correspondent reports that there was no queue at the filling station, suggesting the availability of the product.

Motorists and other customers were seen purchasing the product with ease, though grudgingly.

A couple of other filling stations along that route sold fuel for between N300 and N235 per litre as at Wednesday afternoon.

However, Total Filling Stations along Badagry Road sold at uniform price of N159 per litre, but long queue of motorists and other customers struggling to take advantage of the low price was noticeable in all Total Filling Stations dispensing fuel.

A transporter, Joseph Okafor, who regularly plies the Badagry route as well as Ikotun, Iyan-Ipaja axis told our correspondent that he bought a litre of fuel for N159 at a Total Filling Station near Okokomaiko, but bought a litre for N235 at Ikotun area today.

While confirming the scarcity of the product in most filling stations, Okafor told our correspondent that few filling stations along Iyana-Iba, Okoko, and Mechanic Bus Stop up to Agbara where fuel was available sold at a minimum of N300 per litre.

Along the Gbagada – Oshodi Expressway the AP fuelling station and the NNPC fuelling station opposite it were closed to motorists, telling them that they had run out of fuel.

But directly in front of the filling stations, black marketers had a field day, selling in jerry cans of 10 litres between N4, 500 and N5,000.

At Ilogbo Road, Sango Otta in Ogun State, filling stations sell for ₦260 per litre, while black market sells for ₦350 per litre.

At Igbogbo in Ikorodu where motorists said they have not been able to get fuel today, a litre sells for N250.

At Panseke axis in Abeokuta, almost all the filling stations shut their entry gates, telling motorists they had run out of fuel. On Tuesday when the product was available, they had sold a litre for N250.

Also in the Mowe district, a litre sells for N250 at the Filling station after motorists must have paid between N100 and N200 as a tip to gain entrance into the station.

At the filling station in Ketu district, a litre goes for N260 while it goes for between N340 and N380 at the black market.

Meanwhile, commuter bus drivers and other transport vehicle operators have increased transport fares by as much as 100 per cent in obvious response to hiking in fuel prices. Where transport fare had been N300, transporters jacked it up to N500.