By Olasunkanmi Akoni
LAGOS — Following a seven-day warning strike embarked upon by members of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, long queues have started building up at filling stations across Lagos metropolis.

Consequent upon this, road side peddlers have also begun making brisk business by selling fuel in various sizes of cans and other containers to desperate buyers, especially motorists.

Vanguard observed this in the early hours of Tuesday as vehicles struggled to get into filling stations to buy the scarce product.

Most of filling stations in different areas, such as Ikeja, Oshodi, Maryland, Ojota, as well as some parts of Egbeda were besieged as motorists took turns to buy premium motor spirits, PMS, and diesel.

The situation has also led to terrible traffic jam as long queues spread to the main road depending on the location of the filling stations.

At Ikorodu Road and old Lagos Toll Gate, queues were noticed at the filling stations but fuel attendants were busy selling the product at the normal rate to buyers.

The Mobil filling stations along Agindigbi Road, Ikeja, were also not left out of the rush, as motorists engaged in various acts to outwit one another in an attempt to buy the product.

The boys who were selling in cans sold a five litres for N500. Although the black marketers did not get much patronage, few desperate buyers did patronise them.

Some motorists who spoke with Vanguard urged the Federal Government to quickly intervene in the matter by not allowing it to snowball into serious crisis.

It was also gathered that the commercial bus drivers have been threatening to hike fares if the strike and the scarcity persist by today.