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Motorists sleep at filling stations as fuel scarcity worsens

August 19, 2024

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Motorists sleep at filling stations as fuel scarcity worsens

Motorists in Lagos State are facing increasing hardship as fuel scarcity continues to intensify, with many resorting to sleeping overnight at filling stations in a desperate attempt to secure fuel.

On Sunday morning, long queues were observed at NNPCL stations along the Lagos-Abeokuta motorway at Cement bus stop and Maryland, as well as at a Total filling station on Mobolaji Bank-Anthony Way.

The scarcity has led to severe traffic congestion, with vehicles occupying multiple lanes and causing delays on major roads.

The situation has been exacerbated by the rising cost of fuel at the few stations still dispensing, most of which are located on the outskirts of Lagos.

Commercial drivers, who rely heavily on fuel for their livelihoods, have expressed deep frustration over the situation.

Sunday Jimoh, a driver from Ikorodu, described the scarcity as exhausting and lamented how it has disrupted his daily life, depriving him of the comfort of home.

“I have been sleeping inside the bus for over 3- days because there is no fuel. It is very bad because we didn’t expect this from our new president.

“It is very bad because I cannot go to my house. I live in Ikorodu. There is no fuel for me to go home,” he said.

Tolani Olaniran, an Uber driver who resides in Magboro, Ogun, travelled to Lagos in search of fuel and urged the government to alleviate the plights of the citizens.

“I live in Magboro, but the filling stations there sell for N800, so I had to come here to buy at N619. The thing is not that easy; since yesterday around 6 p.m., I have been looking for fuel. I started from Ogba and went to MRS in Computer Village. They were selling kegs, and I waited for over an hour in the queue before they scattered everything, and they said they were not selling again.

“From there, I went to Total at Mobolaji Bank-Anthony. I was there till 11 p.m.; they told us they were expecting delivery, so we did not see any trucks, so we left there and came to Northwest at 12 a.m. They just started selling around 7 a.m.,” he said.