Checks by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in both city centres showed that there was no fuel at several filling stations.
Those selling the product had long queues of motorists.
Anxious motorists were seen at the Forte Filling Station and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Mega-station in the Central Area of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Some motorists told NAN that they had to use the Christmas holidays to shop for fuel.
A civil servant, Mr Samuel Ogah, noted that it was becoming increasingly difficult to get fuel on working days when there were long queues at filling stations.
He said: “You know work will resume on Thursday. So, I want to seize this opportunity to fill my tank.’’
A lawyer, Mr Andrew Omoh, expressed disappointment with the worsening fuel crisis.
He wondered why fuel would not be available during Christmas celebrations.
However, the scarcity did not prevent fun seekers from visiting recreation spots in the FCT.
There was a high turnout of fun seekers at Wonderland Amusement Park on Airport Road.
An official of the park, Mr Godwin Amodu, told NAN that Christmas season was always busy for the park.
He said: “You know we always look forward to this season for high patronage. But Boxing Day is usually more lucrative for us.’’
In Lagos, many residents decried the fuel scarcity. They said it hampered the movement of people celebrating the Yuletide.
Some of the residents urged the government to ensure adequate supply of petroleum products.
The residents expressed displeasure over the sudden scarcity of fuel. They said this became more noticeable on Christmas Eve.
Many filling stations in the city were closed while hundreds of motorists at the few filling stations struggled to buy fuel.
A motorist, Mr Jare Olorunshoga, who had been on queue for several hours, told NAN that it was unfortunate the scarcity was happening this season.
“I have been in this queue for two hours now which is so frustrating. “The government should act fast on this,’’ Olorunshoga said.
Mr Ibrahim Olowo also told NAN that the scarcity was deliberate to make Christmas dull.
He added: “This scarcity has paved the way for fuel attendants to make money by selling above the official pump price.’’
He urged the government to solve the problem.
Mrs Ifeoluwa Daniel told NAN that the fuel scarcity had made the Christmas season dull.
“There is no light in this area and people still cannot get petrol to buy to enjoy the festive period,’’ Daniel said.
TheNation
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