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Filling stations in Abuja and surrounding states of Niger, Nasarawa, and Kogi were closed on Friday as oil marketers expressed concern about the planned nationwide protest.
Retail outlets, including those operated by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited in Kubwa, Salbas Oil, Eterna, and Gegu Oil, among others located on the Kubwa-Zuba expressway, stopped selling fuel.
Similar scenes were observed in Abuja and parts of Niger and Nasarawa states. Oil marketers reported that filling stations in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, were also shut down.
This led to fuel queues reappearing at outlets like AYM Shafa in the Dei-Dei area of the Kubwa-Zuba expressway, Abuja, and the NNPC in Zuba, Niger State.
In addition, several filling stations in some parts of Lagos State were closed on Friday, raising concerns about potential fuel shortages. Most filling stations were not dispensing fuel, while the few that served customers sold fuel at N800 per litre.
While some oil marketers attributed the closure of retail outlets to fuel unavailability, others linked it to apprehension over the planned nationwide protest.
In Ogun State, the situation at filling stations has become critical as motorists face long queues amid the threat of fuel scarcity.
In the Magboro and Ibafo areas along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, long queues of vehicles, including motorcycles, cars, and commercial buses, were observed at filling stations.
At Quest Filling Station in Magboro, a lengthy queue of over a hundred meters formed, with only one of the three petrol pumps operational, causing further delays for waiting motorists.
