A significant fuel shortage may soon hit Lagos and its environs as marketers continue to shut filling stations against motorists and other product users.

A report by Vanguard indicated that the closure of stations started gradually after NNPC Limited cut the volume of its imports to enable major and independent marketers to participate in importation following the deregulation of the market.

According to the report, the situation became widespread because of the inability of the marketers to import, mainly due to difficulties associated with sourcing foreign exchange and instability in the domestic market.

A marketer, who pleaded anonymity, said: “The reduction in NNPC Limited’s import, aimed at enabling the marketers to embark on importation and the marketers’ inability to import has created a vacuum that needs to be addressed.

“The situation could have been very serious if many people were still buying the product.

“But the shortage is currently mild because many automobile owners are not driving frequently or have completely abandoned driving because of the high cost of petrol currently going for between N568 per litre and N590.”

Reacting, the National President of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Chinedu Okoronkwo, said, “We are still loading.”

However, it was doubtful if all the products lifted at the depots were delivered to the filling stations, as Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority officials were not visible to enforce compliance.