With a nationwide protest looming, oil marketers in Abuja and neighboring states—Niger, Nasarawa, and Kogi—closed their filling stations on Friday.
Major outlets, including those run by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) in Kubwa, along with Salbas Oil, Eterna, and Gegu Oil, stopped selling fuel along the Kubwa-Zuba expressway.
Reports from PUNCH showed similar closures in other parts of Abuja, Niger, and Nasarawa, causing significant disruption. Marketers confirmed that stations in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, were also closed.
As a result, long queues reappeared at stations like AYM Shafa in Dei-Dei and NNPC in Zuba, Niger State. In Lagos, many stations were shut down, sparking fears of a fuel shortage. Observers noted that most stations were not dispensing fuel and the few that were sold it at N800 per liter.
Some marketers blamed the shutdowns on a lack of fuel, while others pointed to fears about the upcoming protest.
In Ogun State, the situation worsened, with long lines forming at filling stations. In Magboro and Ibafo along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, vehicles crowded chaotically for fuel.
At Quest Filling Station in Magboro, drivers waited in a line over a hundred meters long, with only one of three pumps working. Saheed, a commercial bus driver heading to Ibadan, was frustrated after waiting over an hour. “I didn’t expect such a long queue,” he said. “My passengers are complaining, but there’s nothing I can do.” At NIPCO Filling Station in Magboro, diesel was priced at N1,200 per liter, while petrol cost N675 per liter, with four out of five pumps working.
Minister of State for Petroleum Resources Heineken Lokpobiri urged calm and advised Nigerians not to join the planned protest.
Mohammed Shuaibu, Secretary of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, noted that some stations might be closed due to a lack of fuel.
He said fear of the protest led many marketers to take precautions, resulting in fuel queues as fewer stations stayed open.
Lokpobiri, in a statement from his media aide Nneamaka Okafor, urged Nigerians to cancel the protest.
He emphasized the need for unity and patience as the government tackles the country’s problems. He warned against those who might use the protest for harmful purposes.
In Kwara State, there were no fuel queues, with petrol selling between N600 and N800 per liter. Various stations in Ilorin, the state capital, sold fuel at different prices, showing no immediate shortage.