Jude Diugwu
The ongoing fuel scarcity across many states in Nigeria has worsened as marketers have not been lifting fuel from Lagos depots over fear of attack by protesters in the ongoing protests with the hashtag: EndBadGovernanceInNigeria.
Sources said on Saturday that depot owners shut their facilities since Thursday the protests started. They were said to have closed for business for fear of being attacked by protesters or hoodlums.
It was also gathered that all states in the country are currently experiencing fuel scarcity.
Industry watchers opined that the halting of fuel loading at the depots would prolong the ongoing fuel scarcity as it will take transporters some days to convey fuel to other parts of the country than Lagos when loading recommences.
President of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) Alhaji Abubakar Maigandi in a telephone interview yesterday confirmed the none-loading of fuel at the depots and the worsening of the fuel crisis.
He called on the protesters to halt their protests. Maigandi said: “People are not loading because of the fear of the protest. That is why some of the depots refused to load. But I know that by God’s grace, they will start loading on Monday. We are expecting that probably as the situation is now,like today, there is not much problem, even on Friday there was not much problem. So we are expecting that by Monday, it will be okay.
“The situation definitely has worsened fuel scarcity in the country. That is the reason why we do not like distortion because it may create a lot of issues.
“The fuel scarcity has spread all over the country. I wish to call on the protesters to stop the protests. At least, the government has heard what they have been saying. So they should withdraw their protests.”
