Nigerians are currently experiencing a tough time following the fuel scarcity that greeted the country recently.
Findings by FirstNews in some parts of the country revealed that the situation is becoming worse despite the promise by the NNPC to ameliorate it.
In Lagos, Abuja, Kwara, Ijebu Ode, Abeokuta, Lokoja, and others, queues by motorists in filling stations are multiplying unexpectedly.
In some parts of Lagos, motorist have started buying petrol at N500 per liter.
For instance, a motorist who spoke with our correspondent in Ikorodu, Bola Abass, said most filling stations in the area have run out of fuel.
“No fetrol in Ikorodu again. Most filling stations that we have in Ikorodu no longer have fuel. The only one that was saving us was Bovas in the Ogolonto area and it has also exhausted its product. This morning I was forced to buy black market, 10 litres, at the rate of N5000. We don’t know what the government is doing over this issue.”
At Ojodu Berger, Lagos, motorists lamented the difficulties they have been facing over the fuel scarcity.
A motorist, Kayode, said “Yesterday, I spent almost seven hours in a filling station and at the end we were told the fuel has finished. I later got late in the night around Akute where I bought it at N200 per litre. The situation is getting hard on us.”
Meanwhile, black market sellers have started taking advantage of the situation as they sell at a higher rate.
Some of the black-market seller encountered by our correspondent were selling 10 litres for N5000 while others sold for N4500.
Findings in Kwara revealed that residents of the state are not experiencing a better situation. The scarcity, according to findings, had subjected some of the residents to trek to their workplaces.
In Ijebu-Ode and Abeokuta, our correspondent gathered that the transport rate had been inflated by 100 per cent. This, it was learnt, has also made people resort to trekking to their workplaces. Meanwhile, most filling stations were reported to have run out of petrol.
In Lokoja, Kogi State, a resident confirmed to our correspondent that motorists have been going through a difficult time as most of them are now sleeping in filling stations to get petrol.
“The situation is not better here in Lokoja. Most of the motorists are sleeping in the filling stations. It has started to affect everyone because transport is now very high. We taught the situation will go down but its getting worse. As I speak with you, I didn’t go to work today. Everyone is filling the heat”, Alex, a resident told our correspondent.
In River State, the scarcity of petrol in Port Harcourt and other parts of the state caused a sudden rise in transport fares, leaving many commuters stranded.
In Bayelsa State, it was gathered that most filling stations were filled with queues by motorists who were struggling to get fuel.
Likewise, the situation was not getting better in Oyo State. A resident of Ibadan, Remi Lawal said, “Don’t even think of this scarcity going down now. I thought the fuel would be available this week, so I didn’t come out to buy, but as I speak with you, I have been in a filling station in Akobo for several hours.
Meanwhile, we are not buying it at normal rate, they have been selling for N180 per litre and we don’t have a choice than to buy it. Some of my friends were in various places yesterday to get the fuel but they couldn’t get. I quickly rushed down here when I heard they are selling it here. This government should have mercy on us common men.
Meanwhile, it was gathered that In Abuja and parts of Niger and Nasarawa, for instance, black marketers sold petrol for as high as N6,000 for 10 litres, translating to N600 per litre.
The cost of transport fares have skyrocketed nationwide, and many small businesses are being grounded due to the inability of the owners of the ventures to access petrol to run their activities.
Recall that NNPC had said over 2.3 billion litres of PMS would arrive in the country between now and the end of February 2022.
“As of today, the NNPC has over one billion litres of petrol in stock, and the PMS being dispensed today at the various filling stations in the country is safe,” the oil firm said in a statement issued in Abuja.
However, despite the promise, Nigerians are going through a difficult time with the situation, but a stitch in time by the government can still save the nine.