Nigerians Lament Worsening Petrol Scarcity in Kaduna, Katsina, and Kano

Residents of Abuja, Nasarawa, and surrounding states are facing persistent fuel shortages, despite assurances from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to increase supply.

Since last week, motorists in these areas have reported enduring long waits at filling stations to obtain fuel.

This issue has affected stations along Kubwa Expressway, Airport Road/Lugbe axis, and Nyanya-Jikwoyi Road, with some selling fuel for over N700 per liter while NNPCL retail stations maintain a price of N617 per liter.

As a result, transport fares in the nation’s capital have surged. For instance, the fare from Airport Junction to Kubwa has risen from N500 to N700, and from Berger to Kubwa has also increased to N700.

Abuja resident Benjamin Olatunji expressed his frustration with the recurring fuel scarcity in Nigeria, a country that produces crude oil. “It is frustrating. We keep having scarcity in a country that produces crude oil. I have been in the queue for nearly 3 hours but have yet to get the product,” he lamented.

Rukiyatu Adamu highlighted the compounded economic hardship caused by the fuel queues. “Honestly, Nigerians may be pushed into the Kenya situation if the economic hardship continues unabated. I can imagine a country producing crude but importing its by-product, fuel. To make matters worse, we keep having the issue of fuel scarcity. It is terrible, to say the least. I practically spent my whole day at the NNPCL filling station along Kubwa Expressway on Monday,” she said.

Meanwhile, NNPCL has urged motorists to avoid panic buying and hoarding of fuel. In a statement on Monday, company spokesperson Olufemi Soneye attributed the looming scarcity to logistics and flood challenges. “Already, loading has commenced in areas where these challenges have subsided, and we are hoping the situation will continue to improve in the coming days and full normalcy will be restored,” NNPCL said.