When fuel goes scares...

By Punch Online Crew, Photos and videos byTemiloluwa Bamgbose and Sodiq Adelakun

In May 2015, during the last days of the Goodluck Jonathan administration, a major fuel scarcity rocked Nigerians. Banks and radio stations, particularly in Lagos, the commercial capital of the country couldn’t cope with the situation with some of them closing earlier than usual and transport fare soaring.

Fuel marketers held out for subsidy payment with many stopping imports, believing a new All Progressives Congress government would stop payments and possibly refuse to pay outstanding debts.

Many Nigerians couldn’t wait for the inauguration of a new government to solve the embarrassing fuel situation faced by one of the world’s largest producers of crude.

What you should know about Nigeria’s refineries

In December, seven months after his inauguration, President Muhammadu Buhari had an apology for Nigerians. Fuel scarcity had struck again with queues reappearing in October and lasting long enough to turn the Yuletide into a nightmare for many.

Black marketers ran the show, charging over N200 for a product meant to be sold at N87. Those who would not be exploited spent hours at fuel stations with some queuing through the night.

Top spots where Nigerians buy black market fuel in Lagos

“The current fuel scarcity with long queues at petrol stations all over the country causing social dislocation is very unfortunate. Government profoundly apologises to Nigerians for this prolonged hardship and misery,” Buhari said days before Christmas.

“It (the scarcity) is as a result of market speculators and resistance to change by some stakeholders. Government is working very hard to end these shortages and bring fuel to the pumps all over the country.”

It starts from the queue

As was the case in May, the queues disappeared in January, temporary.

By March, an acute scarcity hit the nation hard and despite repeated assurances by government officials, it has refused to go away resulting in outrage, especially as the power situation in the country has worsened.

In Lagos, the commercial capital anguish and anger gave way to despair. As black marketers once again ran the show selling fuel at N300 and above per litre as the scarcity hit hard. Even filling stations sold way above the official price with many selling from N130 to N200.

As a result, parents in Lagos have demanded a new school resumption date and the University of Lagos was shut down following a protest by students over the issue, among others.

Motorists keep vigil for fuel at filling stations

It can be fraustrating

Comments by the Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, did not help matters.

The minister, who is also the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, had told journalists on March 22 after a meeting with the President at the State House that he could not make the fuel queues disappear by magic.

He also suggested that the fuel scarcity would last for two more months.

Kachikwu had said, “He said, “One of the trainings I did not receive is that of a magician but I am working very hard to ensure some of these issues go away‎.

“And let us be honest, for the five or six months we have been here, NNPC has moved from a 50 per cent importer of products to basically a 100 per cent importer and the 445 barrels that were allocated was to cover between 50 and 55 per cent importation.

“So it is quite frankly by sheer magic that we even have the amount of products at the stations.”