Our correspondents
It was indeed a bleak Christmas in many
states across the country as an acute shortage of fuel kept many
families at home throughout Friday
The fuel scarcity, which began two
months ago in the country, became worsened during the Yuletide season as
many filling stations were shut. As a result of this, many people could
not go to church because there were only few commercial vehicles on the
roads.
In Jos, virtually all the filling
stations across the city were shut while only a few ones like the NNPC
Mega station sold to an endless queue of vehicles.
Black marketers cashed in on the
situation, selling a four-litre keg for N1, 500, as security operatives
took up strategic positions in most parts of the metropolis to forestall
any terrorist attack.
Also, residents of Kwara State, especially the state capital, Ilorin, celebrated the Christmas Day with less excitement.
Though, many Christians managed to find
their way to places of worship to celebrate the birth of Jesus, majority
of the residents spent most of the day queuing for petrol at filling
stations.
Many vehicle owners complained bitterly
of the hardship inflicted on them by the lingering fuel scarcity across
the country, especially in the Ilorin metropolis.
A motorist, Mr. John Bala, said he spent
over eight hours in the queue and was disappointed that when it was
almost his turn to buy petrol, the stock was exhausted at the petrol
station.
As a result of the fuel crisis, many recreation centres in the state were deserted while transport fares almost doubled.
Similarly, the fuel crisis in the country adversely affected human and vehicular traffic in Lagos on Christmas Day.
Many of the filling stations, which had
opened the previous day were shut, forcing desperate residents to
patronise black market traders, who sold fuel for as high as N170 per
litre. However, some filling stations, which were open for business, had
to deal with the long queues of vehicles.
In Ogun State, the fuel scarcity also bit hard in the state as many of the major oil dealers did not have the product in stock.
With the exception of the NNPC Mega
Station on Abiola Way and the MRS filling station at Isale Igbein, both
located in Abeokuta, many other major dealers like Mobil, Forte Oil,
Total, and Conoil, did not open to customers, as most of them claimed
they did not have petrol.
Our correspondent, who monitored the
situation in Abeokuta, Sango-Ota, Ifo and Ijebu Ode, discovered that
many of the independent marketers, who had petrol, were selling at N120
per litre.
The NNPC mega station and MRS filling
stations, Abeokuta sold at the official price of N87 per litre. These
two attracted longer queues of motorists.
Though there were queues in the few
filling stations belonging to independent marketers, not as long as that
seen at NNPC and MRS. Only one of them, SurreyB filling station,
located in Elega area of Abeokuta sold to the few motorists in the queue
at N100 per litre.
The fuel scarcity doused the excitement of the Christmas Day for Christians as most roads in the state were deserted.
Many motorists said they had to resort
to leaving their vehicles at home because the few petrol stations that
opened for business sold the product for as high as N140.
Only one filling station on the popular
Adebayo Road in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, sold it at N118 – the
cheapest in the town.
One of our correspondents in Edo State
learnt that motorists had to pay between N150 and N180 per litre to get
the product at the few filling stations that were open for sales.
The situation was evident on the
virtually deserted Sapele Road, Akpakpava, Reservation Avenue and many
other busy roads in Benin, the state capital.
The cost of transportation also recorded
a sharp increase as many holidaymakers had to pay double the cost of
transportation to most relaxation spots.
For instance, it was learnt that the
cost of getting to the city centre from Eyaen or Ikpoba Hill increased
from N100 to N150 or N200.
Saturday PUNCH learnt that in
Kogi State, the situation was not better as the exorbitant price tag on
petrol left many parts of the state drab.
In Lokoja, the state capital, most
filling stations, particularly the major marketers, were without fuel
while long queues were visible along major routes leading to filling
stations where fuel was available at high prices.
At Perotec Filling Station along the Ganaja Road in Lokoja, a litre of petrol was sold for N160 on Christmas Day.
Consequently, commuters were forced to pay exorbitant fare for transportation within and out of the state.
For instance, Lokoja-Abuja which
ordinarily costs N1, 500 jumped to N2, 500, while Lokoja- Lagos climbed
to N7, 000 from N5, 000.
Similarly in Ondo State, many of the
towns and villages celebrated Christmas in low key as many spent the day
at the filling stations.
Many filling stations were under lock
and key while those that opened for business sold the product for
between N125 and N140 per litre.
However, some major marketers and NNPC
Mega Stations sold at the official pump price of N87 per litre forcing
many residents to endure endless queues at the stations.
It was learnt that in Ibadan, the Oyo
State capital, black market operators sold five litres of fuel for N1,
000 on Christmas Day. In Sabo area of the city, five litres of the
commodity was sold for N1, 200. A few fuel stations that sold to
motorists in Ibadan area sold a litre for N120 while one of the filling
stations in Adeoyo area of the city sold a litre of petrol for N130.
The scarcity of the product in the state
reached a new height this week as only a few vehicles were seen on
major roads in the state despite the Christmas season.
Our correspondent observed that the
scarcity noticeably affected the patronage of relaxation centres in the
state as commercial motorcyclists and transport operators charged
exorbitant fares.
It was learnt that petrol sold for
between N87 and N160 per litre in Enugu on Christmas Day, as one of our
correspondents, who monitored the situation, noticed very long queues at
the stations that sold at normal price of N87.
At some filling stations, the available stock was exhausted even before the queue dissipated.
Some motorists, who spoke to our
correspondent, expressed anger at the situation, which they said marred
their Christmas celebrations.
One of the motorists, Mr. Ekene Onyeka, said he spent most of the Christmas Day in a queue.
Onyeka revealed that some of those in
the queue were not able to get fuel, as the product ‘finished’ before it
got to their turn.
It was gathered that apart from few
stations that sold at the official pump price, petrol sold for between
N120 and N200 per litre in other states in the South-East.
Our correspondent learnt that the product was more expensive in rural areas, where very few stations had the commodity.
Residents of Rivers State also lamented
the fuel scarcity as filling stations, which opened for business, sold
the product for N140 per litre.
Many residents spent a larger part of
the Christmas Day in gridlocks in areas like Ada George, Slaughter and
Azikiwe Road in Port Harcourt, the state capital, where motorists in
fuel queues blocked the road.
At Romans Filling Station located along
Ada George Road, a litre of fuel was sold for N140 per litre. Vehicles
most times blocked the Ada George Expressway, leaving only one lane for
vehicles to pass.
Again, one indication that the fuel
scarcity in the state still persisted was the presence of scores of
black marketers, who sold 10 litres of petrol for N1, 600.
Against the backdrop, the Independent
Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Rivers Chapter, blamed depot
owners for the scarcity and hike in the price of petrol.
The marketers said depot owners sell the
products to them above government prices, a situation that had made it
difficult for them to sell at official prices.
One of our correspondents reported that
the fuel scarcity left many motorists and commuters stranded on
Christmas Day in Calabar, the Cross River State capital.
The few filling stations that opened for business sold petrol for N140 per litre.
The situation jerked transport fares as a
journey of N1, 500 from Calabar to Ogoja, rose to N3, 000, while from
Calabar to Ugep which used to be N500, increased to N1, 500.
Some passengers were seen stranded at Etim Edem Park.
A road user, Olukunle Samuel, said apart
from fuel, the surge in vehicular movement to Calabar as a result of
the carnival, also contributed to the long queues at the few filling
stations selling the product.
The scarcity of fuel in Kano State
forced the Department of Petroleum Resources on Friday to pledge to do
everything to ease the persistent problem.
The News Agency of Nigeria reported
that a statement signed by the Comptroller of the department in Kano,
Alhaji Isa Tafida, assured all stakeholders that the department would
intensify efforts in monitoring petroleum products at all outlets during
the festive period.
The aim, it said, was to check diversion of the products and to ensure that they were consigned to reach filling stations.
The DPR promised that it would ensure petrol was sold at the Federal Government’s approved price of N87.
The department, however, reminded all
petroleum marketing companies in the state that it would apply full
sanction on filling stations found violating petroleum regulations.
However, in another northern state, Kaduna, the fuel scarcity did not stop residents from trooping out to celebrate.
Our correspondent observed that most
relaxation joints, especially in the southern part of the state,
witnessed high patronage. Even most of the eateries were not left out as
families took time out with their loved ones to sample various
available delicacies.
Earlier on Christmas Eve, the Peoples
Democratic Party cashed in on the continued fuel crisis in the country
to throw a jab at President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
“Good morning Nigerians. Today is Day 61
of fuel scarcity. Failure is gradually becoming the identity of this
government,” the party tweeted.
A Twitter user, Kamal Kanya, also lamented over the hardship the crisis had caused Nigerians.
“President Buhari needs to do something
urgently about this fuel scarcity. People are suffering seriously. It is
not funny,” Kanya said.
This situation across the country
presents a sharp contrast to the assurances of the Minister of State for
Petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, that Nigerians would not suffer fuel
scarcity during the Christmas celebration.
While assuring recently that Nigeria had
enough supply of fuel for at least 24 days, which would cover before
and beyond the Yuletide season, he had doused fears over the scarcity at
the time, calling on members of the public to refrain from hoarding,
product diversion and panic buying of petrol.
Meanwhile, the Independent Petroleum
Marketers Association of Nigeria has advised the Federal Government to
commence total deregulation of the oil and gas sector to avert frequent
fuel scarcity.
The National Operation Controller of IPMAN, Mr. Mike Osatuyi, gave the advice on Friday in Lagos in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria.
Osatuyi said that the deregulation of the downstream sector was the best option for the nation’s oil industry.
He said that the current fuel scarcity had reawakened the call for the complete deregulation of the downstream sector.
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