Nigerian cities enduring fuel shortages

ABUJA, Nigeria, Dec. 2 (UPI) -- Residents of the Nigerian cities of Abuja and Lagos are facing ongoing fuel shortages in the oil exporting African nation, officials said Wednesday.

The (Lagos) Guardian said the scarcity of fuel products in Nigeria has resulted in long lines at gas stations in Abuja and Lagos, as well as increased public transportation costs and disrupted traffic patterns.

Minister of State for Petroleum Odein Ajumogobia insisted steps would be taken to ease the fuel shortages in the capital city of Abuja.

The Nigerian minister said his ministry was working alongside the Department of Petroleum Resources to tackle the issue. The Guardian said the true cause of the fuel shortages is difficult to understand.

The group general manager for the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation S Group Public Affairs maintained the growing fuel product lines were not caused by the industry.

Group General Manager Levi Ajuonuma also said in a statement the fuel market in Nigeria could be sustained until the end of 2009 through the current fuel supplies in the corporation's fuel supply chain.