Motorists Groan As Fuel Queues Resurface In Abuja

…Oil Marketers Blame Panic Buying For Long Queues At Petrol Stations

Nigerians again experienced fuel queues within the Federal Capital Territory on Sunday as most filling stations failed to dispense the products.

The development led to anger and frustration among motorists who expressed deep concerns on what could be responsible for the fuel scarcity around the FCT.

A visit to some filling stations around the metropolis shows that while some stations are selling the product for as high as N165 to N170 per litre, some of them shut down completely as they were out of stock.

Chika Uche, a taxi driver explaining his ordeal to THE WHISTLER said he has visited over three filling stations but could only get the product to buy at NNPC petrol station after spending over four hours.

Uche, who said he bought the product at N162 noted that the product is scarce as some stations have shut down operations.

He said, “I have been at the filling station since noon, I drove round some filling stations but they are shut down till I got to NNPC along the road, I spent as much as four hours just to get petrol.

“By tomorrow, passengers will have to suffer to get vehicles, because for us that could get petrol at this period of scarcity, we may increase the transport fare because of the huge demand for transportation, and there might be few vehicles on the road from tomorrow.

“The product is scare and it will affect everybody.

Similarly, Suru Bashir who is a farmer in a chat with THE WHISTLER Newspaper, said that the increased price of petrol will also lead to increase in the cost of most food items, as transporting the materials and commodities from the point of purchase to the place of the business will increase also.

“I just heard that the stations here are selling for N170 per litre, that is a whole lot for the common man to deal with at this time.

“I do not think this is a right move at this time, when the average Nigerian household is still battling to survive the impact of the COVID-19 on their income.”

He further explained that the increase will also affect purchasing power of the Naira, adding that each time there is an increase in the pump price of fuel, the value of naira depreciates.

“The increase in the pump price may lead to an increase in poverty level in Nigeria. Hence posing a challenge to the long term vision of reducing poverty in the country,” he added.

Speaking to THE WHISTLER, Aliu Hassan, an Abuja based economist, said that the issue of increased fuel price is always a concern for everyone even when the increase is only marginal.

He said, “Increased fuel prices is always an issue for the common Nigerian, in cases where the cost of fuel is expected to double, the increase in transport fare will be astronomical. This will in turn affect everything else such as school fees, house rent, just name it”.

“In addition to school fees, house rent, the cost of food item will also increase with removal of fuel subsidy and, for all sane people, this is where the trouble is.

“This is a fact we must accept and it is one reason why the implications of all policies must be rigorously scrutinized before decision is taken.

“For any responsible government this is enough reason to jettison the idea of fuel subsidy removal”.

But the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria has advised Nigerians to stop panic buying and stocking of the product.

The National Public Relations Officer of IPMAN, Suleiman Yakubu, stated this on Sunday in Abuja.

He warned against the panic purchases and long queues witnessed in various filling stations across the nation’s federal capital, noting that the increased crude oil price has affected the price products.

“We want to assure the buyers that government and marketers are doing everything possible to ensure that the products are available in every filling station within a few days starting from today,” said the IPMAN spokesman.

He assured Nigerians that normal supply of petroleum products would soon be restored since loading have commenced at various deports.