By Dennis Mernyi
Long queues resurfaced at filling stations in Abuja as another fuel scarcity hit the federal capital city and environs.
The situation has spread across the neighboring Nasarawa state as many motorists spent last night on queues at fuel stations in search of fuel.
But their hopes were dashed as some of the filling stations refuse to open for business. Those that open have restricted sales to either only one or two dispensing pumps thereby creating longer queues.
At Mobil and Forte Oil filling stations along Karshi Road in the FCT, long queues are witnessed with many motorists stranded.
Ibrahim Awuta, a commercial taxi driver said, he arrived at the Mobil fuel station about 6 pm yesterday when he discovered they were selling. According to him, on joining the queue, the pump attendants shut down and stopped selling with the excuse that “their manager had directed them to close for the day to resume early today”.
“We have been here since 6. 30 am this morning yet not more than 20 vehicles have been attended to”, he lamented.
The situation is not different at the Total filling station in Garki Area 11. Long queues have disrupted traffic around Police Force headquarters.
At Wuse, some of the filling stations visited were selling but not more than 2 to 3 pumps dispensing.
Mr. Babatunde Shakiru, a civil servant who spoke to our Correspondent at Rain Oil filling station, along Abacha road, Mararaba lamented that he has spent over three hours on queue but was yet to buy fuel.
However, some owners of the fuel stations contacted have declined to give reasons for the scarcity or why they have restricted sales to a few pumps while there are many customers at queues waiting to buy.
Already, black marketers have positioned themselves in strategic locations in parts of the city and the neighboring Nasarawa state making brisk businesses in the hawking of the product at prices triple the official pump price.
Around the city center of Abuja, 10 liters of the product is been sold between 3000 and 3500 by the hawkers who sell mostly in jerry-cans.
In the same containers, fuel is sold in places like Mararaba, Ado, and Masaka between 2500 and 3000.
When contacted, a senior official of the Independent Petroleum Marketers who pleaded not to be mentioned hinted that the scarcity is a result of the high cost and short supply of products the tank farms owners.
Fuel Scarcity In FCT Not Caused By Shortage–IPMAN
The scarcity is coming at this time even as the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) had last week assured that it has in stock over 1.7 billion tonnes of the products that can last for months.
The NNPC had also cautioned consumers against panic buying and warned marketers to stop products hoarding.
However, according to marketers, the scarcity is likely to persist unless tank farm owners adjust their operations.
The NNPC is yet to respond to inquests by our Correspondent on what is the actual cause the scarcity and what happens to the 1.7 billion tonnes of the product it has in stock.
