Reactions as fuel scarcity intensifies in Abuja
Fuel queues persisted in Abuja and surrounding areas on Monday, with many filling stations remaining closed and those opened increases fare between N630 and N700 per litre.
Gridlock choked major cities in the FCT, as service lanes shut down due to queues sprawling from petrol stations.
At Conoil near NNPC towers in the central area, queues stretched to the APC presidential campaign office, exacerbating the gridlock.
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Reactions as fuel scarcity intensifies in Abuja
July 8, 202442
Fuel queues persisted in Abuja and surrounding areas on Monday, with many filling stations remaining closed and those opened increases fare between N630 and N700 per litre.
Gridlock choked major cities in the FCT, as service lanes shut down due to queues sprawling from petrol stations.
At Conoil near NNPC towers in the central area, queues stretched to the APC presidential campaign office, exacerbating the gridlock.
Frustrated motorists, some of whom had spent the night on the line, complained bitterly. The scarcity also triggered a spike in the cost of transportation, causing commuters to be stranded at bus stops.
Hassan, a civil servant, was not at all pleased with the situation. “We used to pay N500 from Kubuwa to Begger junction; now it’s N700 due to the fuel shortage,” he complained
“I left home at 6:30 AM and stood over an hour at Karu roundabout, but most passing cars were full and public buses are scarce,” Tijjani Akilu said.
Malam Naishe, a motorist, admitted he had hiked fares because of his having bought petrol from the black market.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), has attributed the fuel queues and scarcity in the Federal Capital Territory to what it called “disruption of ship-to-ship (STS) transfer of Premium Motor Spirits (PMS”) between Mother Vessels and Daughter Vessels.
Although Oil Marketers are blaming the NNPCL for the latest scarcity regime, Harry Billy, the National President, Petroleum Products Retail Outlets owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN), has insisted that the current shortage in availability is due to lack of supply from the NNPC.
According to him, the [NNPC’s] the only source of petroleum products, and “when there is no fuel, [it] means the state-owned oil firm has not supplied it.
Writing by Abdullahi Lamino