By Chinyere Arougu
Most filling stations in Lagos witnessed long queues on Sunday as the news of plot by Petroleum and Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASAN) to stop operations on Monday, December 18 spread.
PENGASAN had issued an ultimatum to the federal government to address their welfare concerns or they frustrate efforts at lifting and distribution of petroleum products.
Nigerians have been grappling with fuel shortages in many parts of the country since last week and the situation got worse in Abuja where the banned black market fuel traders resurfaced.
Officials of the Nigrtian National Petroleum Corporation and the minister of state for Petroleum Ibe Kachukwu had assured that there would be enough petroleum products to service the needs of Nigerians during the Yule tide.
The Department of Petroleum Resources had embarked on a visit of filling stations across the country to fish iut dealers who were deliberately hoarding the product.
They sealed a couple of the filling stations after assuring that there was no plan to increase the cost of the pump price.
But with the ultimatum given to government by PENGASAN most Lagos residents started to engage in panic buying from the few filling stations that opened for business on Sunday.
Most of the major oil marketers like Mobil, Texaco , Forte Oil, Oando and Conoil were not dispensing fuel and the ones tbat did had very long queues.