Today started rough for everyone moving goods in Port Harcourt. Many stations were shut or had long queues. Two of our riders couldn't find fuel at all all-day.
This afternoon, the national unions announced a truce with Dangote Refinery and the strike has been suspended. That’s good news. But clearing the backlog won’t happen in one hour.
What This Means For Local Deliveries Today
Fewer vehicles on the road. Some drivers simply couldn’t buy fuel. That’s why bikes/cars felt scarce and ride prices spiked.
Slower pickups and drop-offs. Dispatch riders also spent time in queues. Even small delays stack up across multiple stops.
Why are Prices All Over The Place?
When supply stalls, you get queues and informal resale. Some of our riders reported “black market” petrol prices are anywhere between ₦2,000 and ₦2,500 per litre today, depending on the area and desperation.
These are not official pump prices and may vary and change quickly.
The proper market will settle as stations reopen and trucks resume.
How This Hits Businesses That Rely on Deliveries
Late same-day drops. If your driver or partner spent two hours securing fuel, your 2pm drop can slide to evening.
Fewer available slots. Fewer bikes means fewer time windows. The earlier you book, the better your position in the queue.
Route reshuffles. Riders will batch nearby stops to save fuel. Your delivery might come earlier or later than usual as routes are re-optimised.
What To Do For The Next 24–72 hours
1. Book early and group orders. Combine pickups where you can. One larger pickup beats three scattered stops.
2. Be flexible with time windows. Give a 2–3 hour window for non-urgent drops.
3. Label and package properly. Clear addresses, phone numbers, and fragile labels reduce reattempts.
4. For inter-state, consider park waybill as a backup. If a doorstep run is tight today, sending to the nearest park in the next city is a practical plan B. We can advise the nearest options on request.
5. Keep your phone on. If a rider can’t reach a recipient, the whole route slows down.
What We’re Doing On Our Side
Fuel planning and pooling. We’re prioritising fuel-efficient routing and consolidating nearby stops so more customers get served on one tank.
Priority handling. Time-sensitive items (food/medicine) get first pass where possible.
Transparent updates. If a run slips, we’ll say it quickly and give the next best slot.
When Will It Feel Normal Again?
The strike is suspended, and unionisation is set to proceed between Sept 9–22.
Once loading resumes, queues usually thin as supply catches up, but today’s lost hours can echo into tomorrow.
We’ll keep watching Rivers updates and adjust routes in real time.
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