Fuel Queues Persist In Abuja, Marketers Accused Of Manipulating Pumps

Fuel queues persisted in the Federal Capital Territory on Monday as motorists waited for hours at filling stations to get the Premium Motor Spirit, PMS.

Several filling stations were closed while some of those selling the PMS stopped mid-day on the excuse that the product had been exhausted.

At Kubwa, an NNPC station sold for three hours, before telling desperate motorists that its PMS had been exhausted.

There was a long queue at the NNPC depot at the Central Business Area, with motorists complaining of spending several productive hours just to buy fuel.

“I have spent three hours here. I left the office at 11.10 am but I am still here at past 2.18pm. It is a waste of manpower,” a businessman, Kayode Ishola, told The Punch.

Several motorists who waited at Oando Filling Station, opposite NNPC depot at the Central Area, were not so lucky, as they were told at 3.40pm that fuel had been exhausted.

Some of the motorists were forced to buy at N300/litre from black marketers who stood in front of the filling station, waiting for disappointed motorists to patronize them.

A sad Mariam Okereke, who identified herself as a civil servant, said she had sought PMS in several filling stations but could not get.

It was, however, gathered that some filling stations such as A.A Rano and Shafa filling stations were selling PMS as at 5.10pm on Monday.

Generally on Monday, motorists moved from one filling station to another, hoping that their next move would yield positive results.

Similarly, motorists accused marketers of adjusting their pumps in order to take advantage of the ongoing scarcity.

A Christian Pastor, Samuel Igbinedion, who said he bought PMS at a filling station in Gudu on Sunday, said he spent nearly N15,000 to fill his tank, rather than the usual 12,500-N13,000.

“Before the fuel scarcity, I would use 12,500 or N13,000 to fill my fuel tank, but I spent almost N15,000 to achieve the same purpose on Sunday,” he said, wondering why people were making money off the situation.

Another motorist, who gave her name as Ann, also alleged that she used N15,100 to fill her tank, rather than N12,500-N13,000 before now.

“It was not the usual filling station where I used to buy fuel when there was no scarcity. It is unfair and our Minister of Petroleum does not seem to know what to do about this recurring fuel scarcity.”

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, has earlier attributed the situation in parts of Abuja to low loadouts and increased purchases characterising post-holiday periods.

In a statement, the Spokesman for NNPC Ltd, Garba Deen Muhammad, said that the company had sufficient fuel supplies to satisfy the demands of Abuja residents for over six weeks.

He assured all residents of the FCT and Nigerians that the NNPC had ample local supplies and national stock in excess of 2.5 billion liters, with the sufficiency of more than 43 days.

“The NNPC Ltd hereby advises motorists not to engage in panic buying as supplies are adequate as will become increasingly evident in the coming days,” he had said.