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A wind of panic blows on the avenues of Lagos. From the early hours of the day, dozens of vehicles pile up at the entrance to service stations, until traffic is completely blocked. These scenes have been repeated for almost a month across the megalopolis of more than 20 million inhabitants, but also in the federal capital, Abuja, or in Kano, the big city in northern Nigeria, as well as in other capitals. regions affected by the fuel shortage.
“There are people who sleep here hoping to reach the pump! », launches Issah, leaning on his motorbike: “If you want to use your car, if you want electricity for your house, you have no choice but to queue for several hours. » Nigerians rely on their generators to compensate for daily load shedding in a country where it is difficult to expect more than a few hours of electricity per day. In recent times, it has become difficult to supply the generators: in an attempt to stem the black market which is rapidly developing around the shortage, the service stations refuse to fill the jerry cans. Some use trickery, for example by paying a motorbike driver who will fill up and then empty his tank in exchange for a commission.
A ludicrous situation for the first African oil producer. “It’s incomprehensible, our leaders have no idea how we live! », exclaims Clement, who is beginning to lose patience under the scorching sun. The little man in his 50s, who had to leave his job to wait in line, is now only a few meters from the gas pump, but the wait seems endless, punctuated by the outbursts of voices and the sound of engines being cut and re-started every two meters.
Late freighters
“The government told us it was a problem of adulterated gasoline. I expected it to be fixed quickly! Why are we still here? », asks Samson, a musician. On February 8, the authorities announced that they discovered that 100 million liters of adulterated oil had been dumped on the market, damaging dozens of vehicles. But as the crisis drags on, this explanation is struggling to convince specialists. “The authorities multiply the excuses, but what they say is not very clear”, notes Tunde Ajileye, analyst for the consultancy and research firm SBM Intelligence, in Lagos. “ In addition, we have absolutely no indication of how long it will last..
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