Lagos is experiencing a petrol shortage due to strike action by tank truck drivers who are calling for formal parking places for their vehicles. Parking has long been a problem for tankers operating in Lagos state and especially around the port area where most of the petrol depots are located. Earlier this year several tankers were towed away allegedly for parking illegally, leading to calls for the construction of a proper parking terminal. However, this has never materialised.

The protest triggered panic buying over the first weekend in June, with long queues forming at petrol stations across the city. Industry representatives and tank truck drivers are due to meet on 5 June to discuss the matter but local press sources suggest that an immediate solution is unlikely.

The situation has been compounded by the recent rise in the price of petrol from the former N65 to N75 per litre. Introduced by the outgoing president Olusegun Obasanjo at the end of May, the price hike allegedly aims to offset the cost to the government of subsidising imported petroleum products.

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