Long queues may not disappear soon in Lagos as members of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas (NUPENG) has threatened to stop fuel supply to the state due to intimidation, extortion, and harassment from hoodlums.
According to a letter directed to the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwolu, the association alleged that its members are being attacked and extorted along the Lekki Free Trade Zone.
NUPENG noted that its members are helpless against the “criminals” as several appeals to the security agencies to rise to the occasion have failed woefully.
The letter which was dated ‘ 28, October 2022’ partly read, “We are deeply constrained to bring to your urgent attention, the unwholesome activities of some criminal elements parading themselves along Lekki Free Trade Zone Road…as community youths under the name of Indigenous Unity Forum, harassing, intimidating, and extorting money from every Petroleum Truck Drivers plying the road”.
The association subsequently seek the urgent intervention of the state governor to address the worrisome situation. “We have no other obligation than to demand that your Excellency, as matter of urgency, put a final stop to the unwholesome activities of these criminals and similar elements across the state”.
In addition, the association has warned that if the situation is not brought under control, it would have no choice but to boycott the Lagos market effective from November 6, 2022.
Meanwhile, long queues have resurfaced across several oil stations in Lagos state ahead of the rumored December fuel scarcity and a potential hike in fuel prices. It is observed that several motorists stayed hours at filling stations scrambling for fuel.
This has therefore led to the resurgence of black marketers who sell a litre of oil as high as N300 to N400, Investors King learnt.
Similarly, some gas stations also dispense fuel at a higher price of N200 and above against the approved price of N180-N185 per litre.
While the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association (IPMAN) has attributed the hike in the price of fuel in Lagos to the scarcity of the product, fuel scarcity has also hit other cities such as Ogun, Oyo, Abuja, Niger, and Nasarawa states.
The association noted that “none of the NNPC depots have fuel, thus private depot took advantage of the situation to hike the price”.