Loading at Apapa depots, where many marketers load petroleum products to other states, was hampered by the non-availability of oil workers to certify marketers’ bridging claims.
A source, who is an official of an independent marketing company in Lagos, told Punch that the strike had started affecting operations at the Apapa depots.
The source said, “All bridging vehicles were not certified. So, no marketer was willing to load any area outside South-West that has to do with getting bridging claims. They said they could not forfeit their bridging claims because the Petroleum Equalisation Fund workers were not available to certify them.
“What we did today (Friday) was just what we call local loading – loading within South-West. The implication is that loading has reduced. For example, in our depot, I am not sure we did up to 20 trucks of petrol today, compared to 80 to 100 trucks that we do sometimes in a day.”
Stating that the strike would affect fuel supply, the source said, “People outside Lagos might start noticing it by Sunday. It might not affect Lagos. But outside South-West, the effect may be much anytime from Sunday.”
Meanwhile, fuel queues were already resurfacing gradually in some filling stations in Abuja. Motorists were said to have formed long queues in front of the two filling stations, Conoil and Total, located opposite the towers housing the NNPC and the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources.
In the city centre, it was observed that most of the stations were open for business, but they still had queues, as motorists rushed to fill up their tanks.
PENGASSAN, which embarked on nationwide strike on Thursday, said it would begin a gradual withdrawal of its members from oil and gas fields and platforms by next week.
The presidency has urged the oil workers to drop the strike and dialogue so as not to punish Nigerians.