Gridlock in Ibadan as fuel scarcity worsens

Some parts of Ibadan City in Oyo State on Wednesday witnessed unusual gridlock due to the prevailing scarcity of fuel across the country.

Reports state that the gridlock caused by heavy presence of car owners in many filling stations visited in the town, left many commuters stranded.

Commenting, a businessman, Mr Mayowa Oluyinka, said that the situation became chaotic as most of the filling stations were not dispensing the product to motorists who were on queue.

“Some of the filling stations don’t have fuel while others are just hoarding the product till it becomes very expensive to buy.

“I was lucky to get fuel last night, but I had to beg the gateman before I could access the filling station.

“Today, many more people are unlucky and have to join long queues as early as 7.00 a.m,” Oluyinka said.

Another motorist, Mr Sanmi Olatunde, said he queued for about 30 minutes before he could get the fuel in the town.

Olatunde said that the situation had changed, as more vehicles now queued for hours without the hope of getting the product.

At Enjo Filling Station, Dugbe, Mr Olutola Babatunde, a private car owner, said he had been on the queue for about 30 minutes without getting the fuel, adding that only the Okavango motorcycle riders were being attended to.

“We don’t even know why there is scarcity; it is a sudden development.

“I am travelling to Ife in Osun today and I don’t want to assume I will get fuel on the way, hence, the reason I have waited to get it here.

“I experienced the same in Lagos, but I thought it would be limited to Lagos. We just hope everything will come to normal.

“If there would be an increment, they should let us know, instead of creating scarcity,” Babatunde said.

Also, a Christian cleric, Akin Odukofu, said there were various stories making the rounds as to the scarcity.

Odukofu said he had been queuing in the filling station for more than an hour and there was no sign he would get the product, considering how things had been muddled up at the Bovas Filling Station, Dugbe.

“The queues are moving little by little. After 30 minutes, three vehicles will leave and others will move up in the queue.

“I had to leave my work to join the queue. If I don’t, I wouldn’t be able to go to work tomorrow.

“While some people said marketers are agitating for something, some said adulterated fuel brought in caused the scarcity.

“Others are attributing it to panic buying, because we still bought fuel yesterday and maybe, because of what happened in Lagos,” Odukufo said.

Commenting, Alhaji Bukola Mutiu, the Chairman Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Oyo State Chapter, related the queues to shortage of supply.

“I will just say that the lack of supply led to what we are experiencing. It is beyond Ibadan city, don’t narrow it down to Ibadan alone.

“Definitely, measures are in place to ensure enough supply and disappearance of queues. We are on top of it and we are working hand-in-hand with the NNPC authority and all the stakeholders in the downstream sector.

“We have had a meeting as to how to address the situation. The issue of adulterated fuel is also part of the problem,” Mutiu said.