Petrol Scarcity Grips Abuja as PENGASSAN-Dangote Refinery Dispute Deepens
Petrol Scarcity Grips Abuja as PENGASSAN-Dangote Refinery Dispute Deepens
The ongoing crisis between the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and the Dangote Refinery over the sack of more than 800 workers has triggered petrol scarcity in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The association cut gas supply to the refinery on Sunday, disrupting operations.
By Tuesday, The Nation observed that most retail outlets in Abuja had shut down, forcing residents to turn to black marketers who openly sold petrol in strategic spots, including the Conoil station opposite the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) headquarters in the Central Business District.
The National President of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Alhaji Abubakar Maigandi, confirmed that the scarcity was directly linked to the supply cut from the Dangote Refinery.
According to him, “Dangote is the sole supplier of the product, and loading is slow at the refinery.”
He disclosed that private depots in Lagos had already raised petrol prices to ₦980 per litre, warning that the situation could worsen if the rift lingers. Maigandi urged both parties to urgently resolve their differences “for the sake of the economy.”
Similarly, the National Public Relations Officer of the Natural Oil and Gas Suppliers Association of Nigeria (NOGASA), Chief Chinedu Ukadike, blamed the fuel shortage entirely on the dispute between Dangote and PENGASSAN.
He appealed to the federal government to “quickly resolve the crisis” to avert further economic disruption.
