AS the Federal Government continues to grapple with the prevailing fuel crisis in the country, Nigerians have continued to gnash their teeth in carrying out their daily activities and running their businesses.
The attendant situations across the country like hike in the costs of public transportation have forced many commuters to resort to trekking to their destinations.
Lagos
Most of the major petrol stations in Lagos remained closed throughout the week. Where a few opened, they sold only for a couple of hours before shutting down unceremoniously.
The major source of petrol in Lagos has remained the black market. Earlier in the week, some black market operators sold petrol for N250 per litre. From Wednesday, the price has remained N200 at most locations, observed by Saturday Tribune.
Mr Okey Ugwu, who lives at Egbe said residents should be grateful to the black market operators.
“Here at Ikotun-Egbe, the only petrol station open is at Liasu Road. The price is N150 per litre. But to get petrol there is war. The queue is long. Too long. Mobil at Hostel Bus Stop has not opened since last week. Conoil at Ikotun market, the same thing. So it’s these black market people that have been helping out,” he said.
The situation was the same in other parts of Lagos.
Ibadan
The situation persisted in Ibadan, Oyo State, on Friday with petrol stations with supply experiencing endless queues of vehicles and people bearing jerry cans. Scores of stranded commuters took to trekking to their various destinations.
At a petrol station in the Total Garden area and another one on Bodija Road, vehicles formed endless lines, even as another filling station at the Total Garden area, which was out of stock, saw vehicles queue up to the University College Hospital’s second gate, which is a distance of about 400 metres.
Ado-Ekiti
The fuel situation, which seemed to have eased off in Ekiti State earlier in the week, is now biting even harder.
Many citizens of the state have abandoned their vehicles on queues at petrol stations, while others have parked theirs at home and resorted to costly public transportation.
In Ado-Ekiti, on Friday, petrol sold for between N200 and N250 per litre at the stations, even as getting the product was hellish with long queues and rowdiness at the pumps.
The decision of many of the citizens of the state to leave their vehicles at home has, however, freed up the roads.
Taxi drivers and sundry businesses have also devised various means of beating the high cost of running their businesses. The taxi drivers now ply shorter routes or work only at rush hours.
“Arguments over fares are now commonplace at the Old Garage terminus in Ado-Ekiti. Passengers and drivers who didn’t agree at the takeoff point end up arguing on fares when they arrive at the garage and some of the arguments could be volatile,” Adetunji Akinwumi, a taxi driver, told Saturday Tribune.
The usual heavy traffic on Adebayo Road, Basiri Road, as well as Ajilosun has disappeared, just as the holdup on Oke Bareke-Okesa Road at the Information Junction most afternoons has become a thing of the past. There are now fewer vehicles leaving government offices at the close of work.
A consumer at one of the petrol stations, Mr Olanrewaju Adegoke, said “we are tired of it all. We have been told to be patient but patience has been overworked. The government must find a way to get us out of this mess.”
Ilorin
Pain and anguish yet trail fuel scarcity in Ilorin, Kwara State and its environs and motorists have remained the worst hit.
Investigations by Saturday Tribune on Friday revealed that fewer personal and commercial vehicles, as well as motorcycles, plied the roads.
It was gathered that independent marketers sold petrol between N150 and N200, while it was N300 or N400 on the black market.
Transporters have increased fares by 40 per cent within the city and interstate, as taxi drop has been increased from N50 to N70, while the cost of travelling from Ilorin to Ibadan, for example, has increased from N1,200 to N1,500.
Osogbo
In Osogbo, the Osun State capital, the fuel situation has forced many motorists to park their vehicles at home.
Saturday Tribune monitored the situation in the city and discovered that lack of stock at the only Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) mega station there worsened the hardship faced by motorists, hence long queues of vehicles on major streets.
Checks revealed that despite the sale of a litre by independent marketers for between N200 and N230, motorists and commercial motorcyclists still struggled to buy the product.
A commercial mini bus driver, queuing for petrol at the NNPC station, at the Dada Estate area, Mr Waheed Adetunji, said “this hardship is too much to bear. The Federal Government must act fast and find a lasting solution to the perennial fuel scarcity so that the needless suffering of the people can end. I have been on the queue here since yesterday when we heard that they were going to sell fuel.”
Port Harcourt
It is now a reality that the pump price of petrol sells between N140 and N160 in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital and its environs.
For about two months now, the price of the product has hovered between the two prices, even as black marketers continue to have a field day selling to motorists and other consumers for between N180 and N190 per litre.
As it obtains in most parts of the country, residents of Rivers State have, for months, been suffering untold hardship brought about by the escalating cost of petrol which peaked at N350 per litre in November 2015.
Unlike some other states, however, motorists and other end users do not have to be on a very long queue in Port Harcourt to buy the product as it is almost always available at N150 or N160 at pump price, while the option of the black market is also available.
Most of the major marketers have closed shop due to non-availability of fuel but one of them, located on the Eastern Bypass, and the NNPC mega station on Woji Road sold at N86 per litre, on Thursday.
Commercial drivers and commuters are lamenting the escalating price of petrol even as traders are complaining that their businesses have nosedived due to low patronages by their customers.
Enugu
In Enugu State, the situation remains bad with motorists staying in long queues for hours to buy petrol. On Friday, long queues were noticed at filling stations operated by major marketers.
Within the Enugu metropolis, on Friday, Saturday Tribune observed that a litre of petrol sold for N165 by independent marketers while the major marketers sold at the official pump price of N86.
Reports from Nsukka, Udi and Agbani indicated that independent marketers sell a litre of petrol for between N170 and N200 and in the black market, it is N200 or N220, depending on the bargaining power of the buyer.
Some motorists in Enugu blamed the Federal Government for paying lip service to the oil sector, wondering why they (motorists) are going through hell to get fuel.
“We are tired of this fuel problem. When will we start to buy fuel as fixed by Government? Many of us have decided to leave our vehicles at home because there is no fuel. We are really suffering here,” a motorist, who gave his name simply as Okorocha, lamented.
Warri
Except in Asaba, the Delta State capital, where a litre of petrol sells for between N140 and N150 and there is no presence of black marketers on the streets and there are no queues at filling stations but traffic snarls on the roads, other parts of the state are under the mercy of fuel station owners and their collaborating black marketers.
Checks by Saturday Tribune on Friday across filling stations in the state revealed a growing frustration among the people.
At the Sapele and Oghara axes of the state, the situation is critical as many residents have resorted to trekking long distances due to about 50 per cent hike in transport fares.
Checks revealed that a litre of petrol now goes for between N150 and N160 in fuel stations that have the product while black marketers sell for between N180 and N200 per litre.
A resident, Dr Etasemi Onoriodo, said “the situation is very critical. Na die! We private vehicle owners have resorted to trekking or boarding commercial vehicles. We can’t even buy fuel for our generators as electricity supply is also almost zero.”
In Bomadi Local Government Area, black marketers sell at N200, while at filling stations, a litre of the product sells for N180. Transport fares have also gone up by about 50 per cent.
In Abraka/Ughelli axis, only a few stations have the product and they sell at N170 per litre. Black marketers sell the product for between N220 and N250 while transport fare has been increased by about 40 per cent with only a few vehicles plying the roads.
A resident of Ughelli, Perez Onakwe, on the situations at filling stations, said “the higher the price, the shorter the queue, the lower the price, the longer the queue [of vehicles].”
In Warri and environs, only a station was seen selling the product for N190 per litre. Other marketers, including major ones, have shut their stations.
A resident, Onojeghen Austin, explained that most of the filling stations claiming not to have the product were actually lying.
He said the filling stations usually sold the product in the night in jerry cans to black marketers at exorbitant prices.
No official of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) in Warri could be reached for comments as of the time of filing this report.
Abuja
The lingering fuel scarcity in Abuja has created a good business environment for food and confectionery sellers to make brisk sales at petrol stations.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that in most fuel stations along Airport Road, some vendors sold food and sachet water to drivers waiting to buy fuel.
One of the vendors, Mrs Funke Joseph, who spoke to NAN, said the current fuel situation had helped increase her sales.
“I saw the long queue and I knew some of them slept here and would be hungry by now, so I used the opportunity to come and sell to them. As you can see, people are buying my snacks and I have made lot of sales already this morning more than what I would have made at my stand,” she said.
Mr Idris Umar, a sachet water seller, said that business was really good at the petrol station, adding that he had sold more than five bags yesterday morning.
Umar said that the drivers were willing to buy the water whether cold or not.
“I have sold almost five bags of pure water just this morning only on this queue; the drivers are rushing the water because of the hot weather.
“I even had to call my brother to come here and sell their water because the demand is more than supply,” he added.
Miss Patience Okeke, a bean cake seller, said that she used the opportunity of the fuel situation to hawk ‘akara’ at the filling station, adding that she sold them off within a short time.
“I was here yesterday and I finished selling all my akara. So, today I said I must come back and I will keep coming everyday till the fuel issue ends.
“In my area where I sell my akara, sometimes I return home without selling everything so this is a good opportunity for me to make more money to take care of my family.
NAN also reported that some drivers spent the night at the filling stations and some were seen lying down on top of their vehicles waiting for the filling station to commence sales for the day.
A motorist, Mr Adebowale Adebayo, who also spoke to NAN, said that he had to sleep in the filling station to ensure he got fuel.
“I left my office yesterday after I closed from work at around 6 p.m. and headed straight to the filling station: this is almost 9 a.m. and I have still not bought fuel.”
Another motorist, Mr Adamu Bello, said that he also slept at the filling station in order to get fuel in the morning.
“I decided to sleep here so I can be sure of getting fuel today; if I did not do that only God knows when I will get fuel.
“At least the queue is moving gradually so I know it would soon be my turn.”
Kano
THE Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) in Kano State has sanctioned a filling station for removing its seal and going ahead to sell petrol despite an order by the Department not to sell the product.
The DPR’s Controller of Operations, Alhaji Isah Tafida, told journalists, on Friday, that 15 other filling stations caught selling petrol above the official pump price and committing other offences were sealed off.
According to him, through the cooperation of members of the public, the DPR was alerted to the shady activities of the station and it promptly sealed it off and ordered the owner to pay N1 million fine in accordance with rules and regulations.
Alhaji Tafida said the 15 other filling stations were also fined various sums for engaging in acts contrary to the petroleum rules and regulations.
He said the task force on surveillance of filling stations in Kano and Jigawa states has produced tremendous results, noting that service stations had been compelled to sell petroleum products at the government-approved prices.
He commended members of the public for furnishing the agency with useful information, leading to the arrests of “saboteurs.”
Abeokuta
The scarcity of petrol is hitting residents of Ogun State hard.
Many filling stations have closed down due to non-availability of the product.
An independent marketer, on Friday, sold a litre of fuel for N180 but consumers did not hesitate to buy.
There were rowdy queues at some stations seen dispensing fuel.
The situation was not different in other parts of the state such as Ijebu-Ode, Sagamu and Ota.
Prices of foodstuffs and transportation have increased astronomically.
Lokoja
Commuters and motorists had a hard time getting to their destinations as fuel scarcity worsened across major towns in Kogi State on Friday.
Investigation by Saturday Tribune in Lokoja, the state capital, showed that only a few independent marketers had petrol to sell to the public for between N180 and N200 per litre.
The situation was worse outside of Lokoja. A handful of petrol stations with stock in towns like Janna, Idah and Anyigba sold the commodity for between N200 and N220.
The situation forced many people to abandon their vehicles either at home or on queues at filling stations where they had waited endlessly to buy the commodity.
Major roads in the town were deserted as only a few commercial vehicles and motorcycles plied them.
Ondo
The crisis has worsened in Ondo State as available fuel now sells for between N250 and N300 per litre in most parts of the state.
On Friday, many vehicle owners in the state abandoned their vehicles and resorted to boarding commercial vehicles at high costs.
Roads in the capital city were deserted as only few vehicles were seen while travellers were stranded at motor parks while commercial activities were at their lowest ebb.
Long queues were noticed at one of the major marketers’ filling station along Akure-Owo Road, where, it was gathered, the commodity sold for N300 per litre.
The manager of an independent marketer’s filling station, who spoke with Saturday Tribune on the condition of anonymity, said the fuel they were selling was bought from a major marketer.
“We now buy from major marketers and we are selling as we buy; it is not possible for us to sell below the cost price. The next batch may be sold at N300 but we are selling at N200 now. We are tired of this scarcity,” he said.
A motorist said “I have been here for the past three hours struggling to buy fuel at N300 per litre. I may end up leaving my car here because there is not enough fuel to take me home.”
Source:Tribune
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