There is a growing concern again among Nigerians as the price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), better known as fuel or petrol, is nearing ₦1,000 per litre at filling stations across states, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja.
Raye24reporters learnt that the supply of petrol has experienced intermittent availability throughout the nation, resulting in numerous filling stations being unable to provide the product.
Recent findings have revealed the unpleasant experience of motorists and general consumers of the product in FCT and various States across Nigeria.
It has been revealed that at certain stations operated by members of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) in the satellite towns of the FCT, petrol is being sold for nearly ₦1,000 per litre.
Meanwhile, motorists are enduring extensive wait times at the outlets of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and a select few major oil marketers that are dispensing fuel within the city of Abuja.
The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria has attributed the ongoing petrol shortage to a lack of direct supply from the NNPCL.
Speaking on the development on Thursday, a former Chairman of IPMAN, Ejigbo Depot, Lagos, Akin Akinade, told Daily Trust that: “Our members have no direct supply from NNPC. We buy from Third Party. We buy at DAPMAN (Depot and Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria) Depot in Abule Ado.”
FCT/Abuja
Raye24reporters learnt that numerous fuel stations in Abuja were closed yesterday, while the few that were operational experienced extensive queues.
This predicament began several days prior to the #EndBadGovernance protest, which started on the 1st of this month and has continued for over two weeks since then.
At the Umaru Ngelzarma Filling Station located in the Lokogoma area of Kabusa District in the FCT, one of our reporters noted yesterday that petrol was being sold at ₦980 per litre.
Additionally, at Christee’s Petrol Station, also situated in the Lokogoma area of Abuja, the price for the product was recorded at ₦950 per litre.
Long lines were observed at the NNPCL station in Katampe, along the Kubwa Expressway, where motorists indicated they were prepared to spend the night in order to purchase fuel at ₦617 per litre.
Another NNPCL station at Airport Junction, Jabi, was not dispensing fuel during a visit by one of our reporters yesterday.
This scenario was consistent across most petrol stations in Abuja and its surroundings, primarily due to the scarcity of the product.
Lagos
Journalists in Lagos reported yesterday that long lines formed at NNPCL stations offering fuel at ₦568 per litre, while other stations such as Mobil, MRS, and North West charged between ₦600 and ₦650 per litre.
Commercial drivers shared their significant worries regarding the ongoing scarcity and the steep price increases at the limited stations that are still operational, primarily located on the outskirts of the nation’s commercial hub.
“The hike in fuel price is the major problem we have in Nigeria. I bought ₦900- ₦950 in Calabar, that is why I have not travelled again. It is affecting our business.
“I left my bus because some filling stations sold ₦1,000 per litre,” Omotayo Adenikeju, a transporter, told newsmen.
However, a former chairman of IPMAN, Ejigbo Depot in Lagos, Akinade, told Daily Trust that third-party vendors from which some of their members source the product, “sell to us ₦840, ₦850; and by the time you add transportation to that, there’s no way our members would sell less than they’re selling.
“If they bring down their price, we’re also going to bring down our price. We’re in business to make money.”
, better known as fuel or petrol, is nearing ₦1,000 per litre at filling stations across states, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja.){kind=link}