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…Price soars to N750/litre
•NNPC blames shortage on logistics
From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja
Abuja residents are currently facing a hard time as fuel queues resurfaced across the city amidst soaring fuel price which has hit N750 per liter at filling stations and 1,200 at the black market.
With long queues at fuel stations and majority others shut down, drivers and commuters have found themselves stranded, grappling with uncertainty and frustration.
The sudden surge in fuel price has also left the drivers and commuters battling financial strain with many struggling to afford the exorbitant cost of either fuel and transportation.
This development has raised concerns about the stability in the distribution channel with citizens calling for urgent intervention to alleviate the burden on commuters.
Daily Sun findings across many filling stations along the Airport Road, Kubwa Express, Central Business District as well as other parts of the city revealed that most of the retail outlets were out of stock as at Thursday.
The few that were open; Conoil and Total Energy at CBD, AP at Maitama as well as NIPCO along the Airport Road, all had very long queues spanning several meters.
A civil servant, Amina Gambo, expressed her frustration while waiting at the Lugbe Federal Housing junction for close to two hours trying to get a cab to the Federal Secretariat.
“I have been standing here for almost two hours trying to hail a taxi to work but I have not been able to get any. I hate to resume office late so I wake up and prepare myself for work on time. Unfortunately today, I have been here since 7:30 Am. It is almost 10:Am already.”
A Driver, Mr Abel John, who had been waiting in one of the queues, described the situation as horrific and blamed the government for being insensitive to the plight of Nigerians.
“This government is wicked and always bent on making us suffer. I do not understand if they enjoy seeing us suffer. I have been in this queue for more than four hours and I have not been able to get fuel. I know how much I would have made already if I was working with this time that I have spent here. I do not know what the problem is again. They said fuel subsidy, now they have removed fuel subsidy and making us buy the fuel at outrageous rates, yet we cannot even buy with ease,’’.
Reacting, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) blamed the current fuel crises in some parts on the country on logistics.
A statement by NNPC Ltd Spokesperson, Olufemi Soneye, said that the issues have been resolved.
Sonoye warned Nigerians against panic buying, saying that there is sufficient product in the country.
Mr Anyebe Samuel, an e-Taxi hailing driver said he had to wake up in the wee hours of the morning enable him get fuel.
Samuel further bemoaned the refusal of some e-cab hailing companies to review their prices to reflect current realities.
“I had to wake up as early as 5am to go get fuel at one of the filling stations in Kubwa, yet I met a long queue and spent several hours there. I bought at the rate of N690 per liter. I know someone who bought at N750 per liter.
“If the fuel situation does not improve by today(Friday), I plan to park my car for a while because I cannot continue to operate at a loss. The price is still the same on the App, despite all that we are going through here. After working and by the time they remove their commission, you will see that you have nothing left. It is not encouraging at all.”
A Journalist, Madam Joan Nwagwu, said she bought five liters of fuel at the black market for N600 to enable her go to work. “After work today, I will plan to roam the streets of Abuja to find where I can buy fuel, because, I do not have enough to serve me till tomorrow and I cannot afford to pay another N6,000 for 5 liters at the black market,” she said.
