Fuel Scarcity Crisis In Nigeria Shutting Down Economy, Crippling Entertainment Industry

A fuel scarcity crisis striking Nigeria has crippled economic activity, kept workers at home, and has now shut down the nation’s entertainment industry, as well.

The fuel scarcity crisis has been in effect for more than a month, leading to long lines at filling stations and a rise of an expensive black market for fuel.

The crisis has kept many workers at home, unable to make it to work, and crippled rural areas reliant on fuel. It has even led the nation to intervene, with Senate Committee Chairman Magnus Ngei Abe holding a meeting with key oil leaders and government officials to address the crisis.

“At the end of their deliberations, it was resolved that the oil merchants should resume the routine fuel supply to ease the pressure and chaos the scarcity has created,” reported the Nigerian newspaper Leadership. “Even as the oil tanker drivers have begun to lift the Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) from the various fuel depots to the filling stations, the scarcity of the prime energy product, still persist. Most filling stations in the nation’s major capital cities are yet to get sufficient supply of the product, and vehicle queues have remained endless, with most frustrated motorists losing hope of buying the product.”

The fuel scarcity crisis striking Nigeria is also shutting down the entertainment industry. Pulse noted that it has crippled radio and television stations and led to other cancellations.

“On May 24 2015, major radio stations Beat99.9 fm and City 105.1 fm announced a temporary shut down due to the unavailability of fuel.

The Triple MG boss Iyanya also had to cancel his trip to liberia on May 24, 2015 where he was scheduled to perform at the Ebola Free concert because the airline companies found it difficult to purchase aviation fuel…

Major network service providers MTN and Airtel also announced that customers would soon start experiencing difficulties in reception if the needed fuel is not provided soon, because they are running low on the needed fuel to power their engines.”

Some famous Nollywood actors have also been affected by Nigeria’s fuel scarcity crisis. Funke Akindele, who owns three exotic cars, made headlines when she rode her bicycle to church.

“I can’t just sit down and whine that there is no fuel, I had to do something,” she said on Instagram.

Actress Mimi Ojiekwere was also robbed while trying to buy fuel on the black market, allAfrica reported.

“I left my film location, got to the island and stopped to get black market fuel,” she said. “As I stepped outside my car for just eight minutes, a thief had broken my glass and made away with my valuable. My anger is that if it was not for the fuel scarcity all these would not happened. Federal government, when are we going to live like true citizens of our country?”

Economists say the fuel scarcity crisis in Nigeria has already cost N2.4 trillion, the equivalent of 3 percent of the country’s GDP, which comes at a time when revenue was already on what Leadership called “a downward plunge.” There is also no agreement on a timeline of when the crisis could come to an end.

[Image via Xclusive]