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Oil marketers have stated that the reappearance of queues at filling stations in many states is due to the halt in the supply of petroleum products by dealers in an effort to prevent losing their assets because of the ongoing nationwide hunger protests.
Many states in Nigeria, including Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, experienced varying degrees of queues about two weeks ago, which the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited attributed to a "hitch in the discharge operations of a couple of vessels."
While the company and stakeholders worked together to address the challenge, the nationwide protest against hunger and economic hardship began on Thursday, August 1, 2024, disrupting petrol supply again and causing the reappearance of queues in some states.
The National Public Relations Officer of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Chief Chinedu Ukadike, informed our correspondent that marketers were advised to close their stations during the protest to avoid losing their assets.
Many tankers did not load products during the first and second days of the protest, causing disruptions in the supply chain and potential shortages in states where the products would have been supplied.
The National President of IPMAN urged independent marketers to operate normally, but security agencies asked them to stop selling products at that time to control the situation during the protest and prevent vandalism of marketers' properties.
The disruption in transportation, with depots not working and truck drivers not driving, particularly during the first and second day of the protest, has resulted in a disruption in the supply of petroleum products, which will likely lead to scarcity at the filling stations.
