Petrol queues resurface as tanker drivers’ strike lingers

Motorists in parts of Lagos experienced worsening petrol queues on Tuesday as the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) branch of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) continued its indefinite strike.

The strike began on Sunday after tanker drivers accused police officers of extortion and harassment, citing frequent cases of intimidation and illegal levies imposed on them while transporting petrol.

NUPENG stated that despite repeated appeals to law enforcement agencies and the federal government, the situation has persisted, forcing them to halt operations.

The impact of the strike was evident across some parts of Lagos, as BusinessDay checks revealed that some petrol stations in parts of Lagos were shut down on Monday and Tuesday and long queues were forming at filling stations still dispensing petrol.

The Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) also raised an alarm on Tuesday over an impending disruption of telecom services in Lagos and Ogun States due to the ongoing strike action.

Read also: Tanker drivers, marketers threaten to strike on protest N100bn debts, harassment

Cooking gas supply also under threat

The Nigerian Association of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers (NALPGAM) has warned that illegal levies imposed by Lagos State agencies on petroleum product trucks could lead to a nationwide scarcity of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), commonly known as cooking gas.

NALPGAM President Abideen Olatunbosun, in a statement on Monday, cautioned that continued harassment of truck drivers could disrupt LPG distribution, affecting households and businesses.

Truck drivers have boycotted loading at the Dangote Refinery since February 22 in protest against what they describe as extortion by regulatory agencies. Olatunbosun warned that these actions could result in a major cooking gas shortage if the government does not intervene immediately.

“There is an imminent scarcity of cooking gas. Lagos State government agencies have imposed commuting levies on petroleum product trucks, including LPG trucks. This has led to the paralysis of loading activities at Dangote Refinery since Saturday, February 22, 2025,” he stated.

The association urged the Lagos State government, Ekperikpe Ekpo, the minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas) and Heineken Lokpobiri, the minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil) to intervene urgently to prevent a crisis.