Daily Independent Online.
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Thursday, June 17, 2004.
Chaotic traffic in Lagos as motorists queue for fuel
By Victor Ebimomi
Reporter, Lagos
The city of Lagos has continued to be thrown into
traffic confusion following the non-abatement of the long queues that
resurfaced last Monday after the suspension of the three-day strike to protest the recent increase in the
cost of petroleum products.
Vehicles waiting to buy fuel at the few filling
stations with the now scarce commodity, continued to spill into the roads in
the state, in the process disrupting the free flow of traffic.
The queues were however peculiar to Total, Oando, and
Mobil. At a Total filling station
at Muritala Muhammed Road Ebutte Metta, it was a tug of war on Tuesday, a
situation that started since Monday as the road was completely blocked by
commercial buses popularly called Danfo in their bid to gain parking advantage
over one another in anticipation of sales.
But Daily Independent observed that the petrol
attendants were not selling to motorists at the station even though miscreants
otherwise called area boys were seen “hustling” with jerry cans for
the drivers. Besides the blocking of the road by the commercial drivers, the
area boys were observed molesting other road users who dare to query the
blockage of the road.
The presence of some armed Policemen at the station
did not deter the area boys neither did it bring traffic sanity to the area and
so the confusion lasted for hours.
At the Herbert Macaulay road also at Ebutte Metta,
the same scenario was replicated. But at the station of Oando at Ikorodu road right
from Fadeyi , there were unusual traffic jams at the approaching of filling
stations that dotted the road. At Fadeyi in particular, the situation was so
chaotic as one lane of the road was completely blocked some kilometers to the
Mobil Filling station there. Besides that, hawkers using 8 and 25 litre jerry
cans to sell the product were very visible along the road. Their prices it was
leant raged from N43 and above and they were heavily patronized by motorists.
Hundreds of empty 25 litre jerry cans were also seen
well parked in carts. A conductor disclosed that they were meant for night
business.
According to him the filling stations prefer selling
to the hawkers at the expense of the drivers that queue at the filling
stations.
