Years after the ugly scenario played out, queues resurfaced at filling stations Monday in some parts of Nigeria, a development that caused citizens untoward hardship.
Notable among places worst hit were Abuja, the nation’s capital, Lagos and Oyo states.
For instance, in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital, Blueprint observed that the scarcity was caused by the refusal of the fuel dealers to open their filling stations to willing buyers.
This forced many commercial motorcyclists, taxi cabs and other commercial vehicles plying major roads in Ibadan to be completely off the road.
As early as 5.30am, most of the commercial motorcyclists and the commercial vehicle drivers were seen heading for filling stations in search of fuel, thus resulting in long queues.
At Sango- Eleyele road, Sango – UI-Ojoo, Ojoo-Iwo road, Iwo road – New Ife road, Iwo road Lagos expressway – Challenge, Ring Road – Akinyemi – Apata – NNPC -Abeokuta road, long queues of vehicles resurfaced at about 7am.
Our findings revealed that while some of the filling stations belonging to major marketers refused to open, few others, particularly Mobil at Awolowo Road in Bodija, opened for normal business with long queues of both private and commercial vehicles.
However, nearly all the filling stations belonging to independent marketers firmly shut their gates with many commercial vehicles abandoned at the entrances to the filling stations.
As at the time of this report, the situation is still same with few filling stations attending to the many vehicles on queue at their various stations.
Scarcity artificial – OYSG
But the Oyo state government has described the raging fuel scarcity in parts of the state as artificial.
The state Commissioner for Public Works and Transport, Professor Daud Kehinde Sangodoyin stated this in Ibadan while featuring on a Fresh FM 105.9 programme, “Situation Room.”
Sangodoyin emphasised that the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) should start monitoring petroleum stations in the state and sanction marketers found hoarding the product.
The commissioner pointed out that the scarcity of fuel which started Sunday was artificial as there was no reason for most of the marketers not to sell to the people.
He said most fuel stations in Ibadan were not selling fuel to motorists while those selling experienced long queues which also contributed to gridlock in some parts of the metropolis.
The Zaria situation
Meanwhile, the story was the same in Zaria, Kaduna state, where independent marketers reportedly shut down businesses to create artificial scarcity resulting in brisk business.
Although some claimed the development followed the stoppage of the product from coming to the north as a form of reprisal to the stoppage of food moving from the north west to the south, but this could not be confirmed.
Investigations revealed filling stations owned by independent marketers closed in the early hours of Monday.
And like Ibadan, there were long queues of vehicles at the few stations owned by major marketers.
Some motorists who spoke to our correspondent expressed dissatisfaction with the development, and accused the independent marketed of hoarding the commodity.
A commercial bus driver, Malam Sani Garuje, said the action of the independent marketers was meant to create artificial scarcity of the product in order to engage in shady deals such as black market.
Also, a commuter, Stephen Solomon, accused the marketers of trying to sabotage government’s efforts by hoarding the product intentionally to push cause hardship for the common man.
No price hike -NNPC
Meanwhile, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has said there will be no increase in the price of petrol in the country in March.
To this end, it cautioned sellers and buyers against hoarding and panic-buying.
NNPC said this in a statement Sunday by its Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Kennie Obateru, via its verified Twitter handle.
The response came amidst reports of possible increase in the price of petrol that has dominated the public space.
Queues resurfaced in many cities weekend as residents besieged fuel stations in anticipation of yet another season of fuel scarcity.
On Sunday, Premium Times found that a number of petrol stations in Ojodu and Ikeja areas were under lock and key. At Ojodu-Berger area, the NNPC retail outlet was shut against motorists Sunday afternoon.
In Abuja, there were queues at major fuel stations visited across the city.
On Sunday, a long queue of both motorists and motorcyclists was observed at the NNPC filling station along Airport Road, Lugbe, Abuja.
While a litre of petrol was sold at N162, the fuel station attendants refused to sell to individuals with gallons.
Similar reports were received from other parts of the country.
According to the NNPC statement, contrary to speculations of imminent increase in the price of petrol in the country, there will be no increment in the ex-depot price of petrol in March 2021.
The ex-depot price is the price at which depot owners buy the product from the NNPC which is virtually the sole importer of petrol into the country. It is fixed by the Petroleum Products Marketing Company (PPMC), a subsidiary of the NNPC.
“The Corporation was not contemplating any raise in the price of petrol in March in order not to jeopardize ongoing engagements with organized labour and other stakeholders on an acceptable framework that will not expose the ordinary Nigerian to any hardship.
“NNPC also cautioned petroleum product marketers not to engage in arbitrary price increase or hoarding of petrol in order not to create artificial scarcity and unnecessary hardship for Nigerians while giving assurance that it had enough stock of petrol to keep the nation well supplied for over 40 days and urged motorists to avoid panic buying,” the statement further said.
