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There were new queues for Premium Motor Spirit, also known as petrol, in Lagos, Abuja, parts of Niger, and Nasarawa States on Friday.
This was due to the closure of many filling stations operated by independent marketers who were unable to access petrol because of the increased ex-depot price set by private depot owners at N710/litre.
Motorists flocked to the few stations that were dispensing petrol, particularly those run by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited and some major oil marketers in Lagos, Abuja and neighboring states, causing long lines.
Independent oil marketers, who own the majority of filling stations, attributed the situation to the hike in the ex-depot price of petrol by private depot owners.
The National President of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Abubakar Maigandi, explained that private depot owners were selling at N710/litre, while NNPC retail stations were selling at N617/litre, resulting in difficulties for independent marketers to obtain the product.
