By Habeeb Lanlehin
I left home around 5:30 am and by the time I got to the filling station, the queue was too long and I knew I wouldn’t get fuel till 5 pm if I queued in the line-
The year was 1956, in a town called Olobiri in Bayelsa, crude oil was discovered in Nigeria by Shell Darcy. This came after 50 years of exploring for commercial oil, all prayers felt answered and Nigeria which was on the brink of getting independence was in the limelight and poised for greatness, her manifest destiny. Sixty-six years later, long queues adorn all filling stations in desperation to get some litres of Premium Motor Spirit, otherwise known as petrol.
Long queues due to scarcity are not a new sight in Nigeria and any ten-year-old kid will run out of fingers if asked to count the number of times he has seen people queue for fuel in the last four years. The situation is made more complicated by the hike in petroleum prices by the marketers without approval or sanctions from the Federal Government which seem to turn a blind eye.
Despite the widespread scarcity in the country, Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory(NMDPR) stated on November, 24 that about 2.1 billion litres of petrol is in stock. However, oil marketers argued that there had been changes in logistics, supply and charges and the scarcity might be present till the festive seasons and maybe beyond.
The deputy president of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Zarma Mustapha, opined that efforts are ongoing to arrest the situation. He explained that the issues lie in logistics and supply of the commodity to retailers.
Also, the Secretary, Abuja-Suleja IPMAN, Mohammed Shuaibu stated that the problem of poor distribution and supply shortage might extend into the festive season. He also maintained that the situation is precarious but can be addressed by the government through the NNPC.
Countywide, prices of the commodity are highly inflated with long queues spilling into roads and the country heads into a new year in confusion with empty gas tanks.
Will December still be detty?
