By Temitope Muhideen, Ilorin

Long queues have surfaced at petrol stations with lower prices in Ilorin, the capital city of Kwara State, amid rumors of fuel scarcity. The sudden appearance of these queues has caused disruptions to daily life, with commuters and motorists struggling to access fuel for their vehicles.

Confidence News Nigeria observed that in some areas of the state, motorists were seen queuing up in lines that stretched into the streets, causing gridlock around filling stations.

A litre of the product now sells for between N800-N1,000 in some filling stations, a move that has resulted in an increase in the cost of transportation.

In most cases, some stations are not selling the product at all, according to to insiders they hoard the product intentionally.

Confidence News Nigeria visited the popular NNPC station on Ajase-Ipo road, Offa Garage area of the state. Transporters, car owners, and those who use PMS for daily activities gathered in large numbers, queuing to buy fuel amidst heavy security presence at the station.

A quick visit to major fuel stations along the axis shows that many of the stations were closed, indicating either a lack of fuel or hoarding. NIPCO petrol station along Offa Garage road was closed, “we are waiting for the product to land, the security guard told Confidence News Nigeria, similarly Eterno station along the axis was also closed, but according to an insider, the station has enough fuel, but waiting for directive from the management of the fueling station.

Drivers, car owners, automotive operative reacts

Abdulkareem Alabi spoke with CN “I regret voting for Tinubu and APC, I can’t endure this hardship, I have been at this station for almost five hours now, trying to get a product that I will pay a high price for, it is alarming, Nigeria is tiring, he lament.

“Kunle Adebiyi, 27, can only make a living by riding his Okada. The fuel consumption of his motorcycle has increased fivefold since 2023. “I’m fed up with this country; none of our leaders have a plan for our lives. I’m almost ready to give up,” the young man concluded.

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But in a bid to tackle the situation, the Federal Government through the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) threatened to withdraw licenses of filling stations hoarding fuel.

“NMDPRA embarks on a war against the illegal sale of petroleum products, especially PMS in jerrycans. Filling stations are advised to desist from servicing illegal peddlers; failure to do so would result in the suspension of retail licences,” the agency said in a tweet on its handle.

The Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) last month blamed the scarcity of petroleum on a hitch in the discharge operations of a couple of vessels.

“The NNPC Ltd wishes to state that the tightness in fuel supply and distribution witnessed in some parts of Lagos and the FCT is a result of a hitch in the discharge operations of a couple of vessels,” the NNPCL spokesman Olufemi Soneye said.

But he assured Nigerians that the NNPCL is working to resolve the situation.

“Similarly, the development was compounded by consequential flooding of truck routes, which has constrained the movement of PMS from the coastal corridors to the Federal Capital, Abuja,” it said.