4 dead, companies close down as Nigeria plunges into chaos

According to unverified claims by a Twitter user, @tundealuko, a man in his early 30s, two young children, a baby and a woman, who died after childbirth, were victims of the ongoing fuel crisis.

The woman, who Aluko said is her church member, bled to death in the early hours of Sunday, May 24, after the hospital she was being treated said it could not rush to get blood because of unavailability of fuel.

Similarly, the fuel shortage has forced broadcast stations and Airlines to shut down after a few hours of work in order to ration diesel.

Hundreds of passengers are stranded at airports and bus stops. Fewer vehicles are plying major reads as thousands of cars are queued hopelessly at various filing stations across the country, especially in Lagos state.

As at today, May 24, many petrol stations in Lagos are selling at N400 per litre as against the initial N87 per litre.

Reports say pump price in Ogun state is N300 per litre; Kebbi – N300 per litre; Sokoto - N300 per litre; Cross River – N250 per litre; Bayelsa – N200 per litre; Kogi – N200 per litre; Kwara - N200 per litre; Adamawa – N160 per litre; Akwa Ibom – N150 per litre, the outrageous hike fluctuates per state and time.

Several companies, including telecommunications giant, MTN, are also reportedly threatening to close shops for the same reason – fuel shortage.

Nigerians, online and offline, are groaning in pain and lamenting separate ugly situations in their domains that the fuel crisis has caused. And with the electricity generation that has dropped to 1,300 Mega Watts – all time low, many are convinced the anomaly is nothing compared to what will be uncovered after the change of government on May 29.

The Ministry of power Permanent Secretary, Godknows Igali, had said earlier in the week that if the fuel crisis does not end soon, the already near comatose electricity supply in the country will worsen.

However, the Senate has summoned the Minister of Petroleum Resources Diezani Alison-Madueke and the Finance Minister, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo Iweala over the deepening fuel crisis.

The two Ministers are expected to appear before the National Assembly on Monday, May 25, as the nation plunges into chaos.