NIGERIA: Fuel scarcity bites harder, petrol now N400 per litre

The ongoing scarcity of Premium Motor Spirit also known as petrol is biting harder in the country as users are forced to pay far above the recommended price of N87 per litre in most of the filling stations that sell the product, SUNDAY PUNCH has found out. Investigations by our correspondents also revealed that petrol now sells in some states as high as N400 per litre while in others it goes between N110 and N200. However, some filling stations as at press time on Saturday, according to our correspondents, still sold the product at the official price of N87 per litre. These filling stations, findings showed, were however few and inundated with long queues of motorists, motorcyclists and other users. In Cross River State, a litre of petrol was sold for as high as N400 in Calabar and environs on Saturday morning. Tanker drivers across the state and beyond had on Monday refused to load the product from the Calabar Depot in protest of the deplorable situation of federal roads in the state. As at the time of filing this report, most service stations had yet to commence the sale of the product to the public. Black marketeers had continued to have a field day. Many petrol stations in Akwa Ibom State, particularly those in Ibesikpo/Asutan, Eket, and Itu Local Government Areas on Saturday sold petrol at N200 per litre. In Uyo, the State capital, while the price fluctuated between N170 and N180 per litre, motorists said many of the filling stations had adjusted their metres regardless of the amount they pay for buying fuel. In Ondo State, long queues of vehicles persisted in many filling stations in many towns on Saturday even as many of them sold petrol at N120 per litre. In Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, there long queues at filling stations on Saturday especially those owned by major marketeers. A litre of petrol was being sold between N100 and N110 depending on the distance of the area to the state capital. In Enugu State, petrol was sold between N130 and N150 per litre. Our correspondent, who bought the commodity at the cost of N140 per litre in the state capital on Saturday, learnt that the product was being offered to motorists for N150 in other filling stations. In Oyo State, fuel scarcity reached a height as few vehicles plied the roads. More than 85 per cent of major oil marketeers were not selling the product while a few independent oil marketers sold between N110 and N120 per litre. The queues by motorists for petrol continued on Saturday in some filling stations in Abuja and Nasarawa State. All petrol stations visited in Abuja on Saturday sold at the regulated price, but many were not open for business as they claimed not to have products. In Benue State, Sunday PUNCH visited the NNPC Mega filling station along Oturkpo road where the queue for the product was over four kilometres long. It was the only fuel station selling at the official pump price of N87 per litre. Meanwhile, black marketeers have taken over the town as they sold at N200 and N250 per litre. In Gboko and the other local government areas it was sold at N170 per litre. Investigations by SUNDAY PUNCH correspondent, who went round some parts of Nassarawa State, observed that it was only the NNPC mega station that sold at N87 per litre while others sold at N160 per. In Bayelsa State, particularly Yenagoa, the state capital, a few filling stations that were selling the product on Saturday sold a litre of petrol between N130 and N150. The NNPC mega filling stations in the Yenagoa metropolis were the only ones selling at the government regulated price of N87 but the queues were very long. A litre of PMS was sold for N100 in many filling stations in Ogun State except NNPC stations and those of major marketeers on Saturday. In Osogbo, the Osun State capital and other parts of the state, petrol was sold at N110 per litre. In Lagos, our correspondent learnt on Saturday that while the NNPC and major marketers sold at N87, black marketers sold five litres of petrol at N600. SOURCE: PUNCH.