LAGOS, Nigeria — Long queues resurfaced at filling stations in Lagos on Wednesday, October 1, 2025, only days after the resolution of a labour dispute between the Dangote Refinery and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN).
Checks across the city revealed congested lines at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) retail outlet in Ikoyi, as well as stations in Oyingbo and Alapere.
Similar scenes were reported on the Epe axis, though operations in Abuja filling stations remained stable.
The return of queues comes less than a week after the federal government brokered a truce in Abuja between PENGASSAN and Dangote Refinery.
The union had on Friday, September 26, 2025, ordered members to halt crude and gas supplies to the refinery, alleging the dismissal of more than 800 workers and union suppression.
The directive also extended to international oil companies, including Shell, Chevron, TotalEnergies, Oando, Seplat and NGIC, leading to a suspension of vessel loading and deliveries.
Dangote Refinery dismissed the claims as false, describing the strike as “unlawful” and a direct threat to the supply of petrol, diesel, aviation fuel, kerosene and cooking gas.
Following two days of negotiations chaired by Labour Minister Muhammad Dingyadi, PENGASSAN suspended its strike after Dangote Group agreed to redeploy the affected workers to other subsidiaries.
Despite the settlement, Lagos residents are now facing the aftershocks of the supply disruption.
Some motorists reported that stations dispensing fuel in the morning stopped selling by the afternoon, sparking a scramble across the city.
Frustrated customers took to social media to voice their concerns.
“Why are fuel queues returning despite no change in price? It’s still N865–N870,” wrote one user, @Ayobekee_Jnr.
Another, @iamkayodea, added: “Dangote and PENGASSAN are fighting, but it’s the rest of poor Nigerians that have to wait in long queues for fuel.”
Unlike Lagos, filling stations in Abuja reported smooth operations with no signs of scarcity.
Industry sources say the capital may have benefited from uninterrupted deliveries by the NNPC while Lagos contends with lingering logistical bottlenecks from the strike.
