Motorists and other users of PMS otherwise known as petro in Lagos are not finding it easy as scarcity of the product has again resurfaced in many parts of the State, causing gridlocks on major roads.
Investigation by our reporters revealed that the recent scarcity may not be unconnected with complaints by Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers to the Lagos State Government that their members were being harassed by area boys in the state.
It would be recalled that on October 28, 2022, NUPENG, wrote to the Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to complain about community youths under the name: Indigenous Unity Forum, who have been harassing, intimidating and extorting money from petroleum tanker drivers and others plying the road.
Part of the letter read: “We are deeply constrained to bring to your urgent attention, the unwholesome activities of some criminal elements parading themselves along Lekki Free Trade Zone Road, Eleko Ibeju, Lekki, as community youths under the name of Indigenous Unity Forum, harassing, intimidating, and extorting money from every petroleum truck drivers, who are NUPENG/PTD members plying the road.
“We have no other obligation than to demand that your Excellency, as a matter of urgency, put a final stop to the unwholesome activities of these criminals and similar elements across the state, otherwise we would have no other option than to direct our members, for the sake of the safety of their lives and property, to stay off the entire Lagos State until sanity, law and order are restored.”
According to a resident in the Ikeja area of the state, he noticed the buildup over the weekend.
“I noticed the long queues on Sunday but I didn’t put my mind to it until Monday morning when I set out for work.
“I paid more than the usual fare as most transporters have taken advantage of the scarcity to hike their transport fare coupled with the fact that a lot of people were stranded at the bus-stops,” he added.
“If this continues, many of the buses will be stuck in fuel queues and we will stand for hours just to get transportation to work. Some of us have to deal with queries from management for going late to work. All this wahala plus the normal traffic situation is just too much to deal with.”
Another commuter, Mosun Oluwaseyi said many of the residents in her area were surprised to find that long queues are back and many do not know how to handle the budding crisis.
According to her, the scarcity is already making traders have to commute to sell their wares, to increase the prices of their goods.
“The prices will keep increasing as the fuel scarcity lingers, that is another problem for the average Lagosian, especially those of us who are just managing with our meagre earnings. Why is fuel scarce again? It is too much. The government needs to do something.”
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