Nigeria, Africa’s largest oil producer, is suffering from a severe fuel scarcity, which is wreaking havoc across the country.
People are queuing for hours at gas stations, some well into the night, to buy fuel.
The longest lines have formed in cities such as Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, and Lagos, the commercial center, at those petrol stations that have some petroleum on hand.
On the illegal market, prices have risen by up to four times in some regions.
Due to under-utilized oil refineries, the country frequently runs out of fuel. Nigeria sells crude oil before importing refined goods for domestic consumption.
Supply shortages have been reported as a result of the government’s decision to eliminate subsidies on petroleum goods.
The present shortages, according to Nigeria’s state-owned oil corporation, are due to actions taken to quarantine millions of gallons of contaminated fuel already on the market. Many Nigerians have reported mechanical damage to their vehicles after using the methanol-blended gasoline, which was imported earlier this month. Nigeria’s National Petroleum Corporation now claims it plans to provide 2.3 billion liters of gasoline, and that its depots and retail outlets will open 24 hours a day, seven days a week to meet demand.
BBC
