At Xmas, fuel scarcity still chokes Nigerians

Our correspondents reported that the situation has grounded many commercial and Christmas activities all over the country. Long queues at filling stations persisted in many of the states including Abuja while the prices of the scarce commodity soared beyond the reach of many motorists.  Road-side petrol sellers known as black marketers are cashing on the […]

Our correspondents reported that the situation has grounded many commercial and Christmas activities all over the country. Long queues at filling stations persisted in many of the states including Abuja while the prices of the scarce commodity soared beyond the reach of many motorists.  Road-side petrol sellers known as black marketers are cashing on the situation to make brisk business.

In Abuja, Weekly Trust gathered that the price of the commodity in black markets yesterday ranges between N1, 300 and N1, 700 for a gallon while a jerry can of 10 liters costs between N3, 000 and N3, 500.

The situation has forced most of the residents to stay indoors while others who were seen trekking in the morning hours to their various places of worship.

At the filling stations visited, virtually most of them had been closed and the few ones operating have been overwhelmed by chaos caused by motorists   who are desperately itching to gain access to the filling stations.

A motorist, Auwalu Circulation told Weekly Trust that he has spent hours in the queue but could not enter the filling station because of the snail speed of the queues.

In Maiduguri metropolis, our correspondents report that residents of Maiduguri metropolis and environs had hectic time obtaining fuel in the city despite the Christmas holidays.  They reported that the scarcity has marred the celebration and caused sharp increase in prices of essential food items.   

Weekly Trust investigations revealed that major oil marketers sell at the approved pump price of N65, but with long unending queues while the independent marketers who hitherto sell at between N85 and N90, now sell at the rate of N115.   

Butu Abdullahi, a taxi cab driver who was able to purchase fuel at a major marketer petrol station after spending 16hours said, “I have been in this filling station since yesterday. I joined the queue around 9.07pm and as you can see, I am just buying. It is 1.31pm. I could have bought a long time ago, but the attendants are selling to people who are not on the queue, but can afford to offer them some money. I just bought fuel now at the rate of N65.”   

Our correspondents observed that majority of the culpable independent marketers; especially those located on the outskirts of the metropolis have been taking advantage of their location to play hide and seek with the task force monitoring team of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) to tamper with their pump.   

Weekly Trust investigations also indicates that products cleared and supplied from the Petroleum and Pipeline Marketing Company (PPMC) from the Maiduguri Depot to both Borno and Yobe states had drastically reduced and could be attributed to the grievances with petroleum tanker drivers.  

For instance, the distribution manifest of the 24th December 2009 from the Maiduguri PPMC Depot indicated that major marketers in Borno got 12Nos 33,000 trucks. Out of this, eight trucks are petrol and four diesels. From the eight trucks, six were allocated to Maiduguri and the remaining two to surrounding local government areas. Compared to their overwhelming population, independent marketers’ supply was also inadequate. The Christmas breaks disrupted supply for one day so distribution will commence today (Saturday).   

Apart from shortage in supply of the products, investigations also reveal that DPR, which is saddled with the responsibility of ensuring the safety of service station premises and compliance with approved pump price is suffering from inadequate manpower.

For instance,  when one of our correspondents got wind of the case of exorbitant pump price of petrol in one independent petrol station,(name withheld) along Baga road in Maiduguri. He informed Mohammed Usman, the Zonal Controller of the DPR who was on leave, it took his extra efforts via phone to reach out and redraft the team leader from duty in another service station. The team leader quickly mobilized other members from various service stations to the location. When the team went into action, the manager and service attendants denied tampering with the machines initially, but one of them later admitted.

One motorcycle owner cheerfully drove out after buying fuel, leaving his N35 change for the service attendant after buying N665 worth of petrol.   

In Port Harcourt, a good number of the motorists spent the Xmas on queue waiting to buy fuel at the NNPC mega station on Lagos Street.

One of them, Mr Sampson told our correspondent that the decision to patronise the station is because it is about the only one where the commodity could be purchased at the official rate of N65 per litre.

The situation is no different in other parts of the city where a couple of days to Christmas Eve motorists have been passing the night in filling stations that their fuel prices are ‘moderate’, between N70 and N90.

In other filling stations, this is not the case. Pump prices are as high as N120 in some of those visited on the outskirt of the city.

Nonetheless, many commuters are not feeling the pinch much as they ride in the state-owned mass transit buses which ply major routes in the city at the rate of N50 per drop.

Long queues continued to feature through Kano metropolis as the fuel scarcity deepens during the Christmas celebrations.

A gallon sells for N600 on the roadside and many activities have been affected by the scarcity. Motorists even those on queues were not certain of getting fuel most of them told Weekly Trust that after joining long queues, they are often told that the commodity has finished

This has now forced motorists  like Abubakar Sulaiman  a taxi driver, to buy from the black markets.

The Yan Bumburuntu ( black market operators)are more reliable according to Abubakar because  you will see the fuel with them only the price may be dear, unlike when you follow the line and at the end, the fuel  will finish without you getting it and your time wasted.   

However Ishaq Usman, an independent marketer who is also the administrative secretary of IPMAN, Kano branch argues that there is fuel at the depot in Kano, He said the depot would soon discharge the product and he was optimistic that it would address the problem of scarcity.

A public servant, Murtala Jinjiri, who travelled from Abuja to Kano observed that the pain travelers faces is severe as most people like him had to abandon their vehicles because of the scarcity.

Residents of Jos lamented the scarcity of fuel yesterday as they celebrated their Christmas holiday.

Our correspondent who went round the Tin City reported that there was no fuel station vending the product yesterday which forced residents to resort to black markets.

Olu Johnson, a resident of Nasarawa Gwom, lamented that the scarcity of the commodity has forced many motorists who planned to take their family for outings to change their schedule by remaining at home. “Most families who have planned to go out have been forced to reschedule their plans because they cannot to buy the fuel at the black market which costs above N150 per litre,” he said.

Monday, another resident of Jos decried the scarcity of the product stated that he had to leave his motorcycle at home to take Okada to visit his relatives.

Weekly Trust also gathered that the price of the commodity in the black market on the average cost between N140 to N150 while fuel stations sold the product at the average of N65 to N100 where it is available as most of the fuel stations were under lock and key.

Weekly Trust observed that despite the scarcity, Christians all over the country are celebrating the season heartily.