Many drivers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have complained about the continuing fuel shortage in the area.
The motorists complained that their lives were being made difficult by the scenario, which had persisted for more than four weeks when they talked to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja.
Many gas stations were not selling the goods and the handful that was had long lines, according to a NAN Correspondent who was keeping an eye on the issue. NAN claims that the shortage is hurting commuters badly because so many are left stranded.
Except for the retail shops of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd), which sell at N175, several gas stations modified their pump prices per liter of gasoline in response to the event. Some gas stations that carry the product now charge between N195 and N250.
NAN noticed that JENEP, which is situated in Azhata along the Karshi road, NNPCL’s retail location in the vicinity of GSM Village, Zone 1, and NNPCL’s retail outlet in Zone 4 were all displaying long lines for sales.
Traffic was backed up due to the problem, which was being handled by Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) authorities.
Initially, the shortage was brought on by flooding in Kogi, which made it difficult for vehicles to move and, as a result, hampered the distribution of petroleum supplies.
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulation Authority (NMDPRA) has yet to react to the situation, even though the shortage has persisted. Motorists urged the Federal Government to act to resolve the ongoing gasoline shortage and alleviate the misery being experienced by locals.
A businessman who only supplied his name as Timothy claimed that he was spending a lot of money on black market vendors and that the only way he could continue to operate was by offering more products and services to the general people. “I get 10 liters of gasoline from black marketers for N3,500 because there are large lines at the fueling stations, making it difficult to obtain.
Unfortunately, no gas station sells for less than N175 at this time. And if you don’t drive in with a car, you can’t buy Jerry cans to run your generator,” he added.
Mr. Tobi Emmanuel, a driver, lamented the discomfort he had been feeling for more than four weeks. He added that despite spending many productive hours at gas stations, he had seen little to no improvement. He explained, “Today, most of the stations along my route, which is Nyanyaa, are not selling. I managed to get to NNPC, Zone 4, but there is still little hope due to the frightening waits.
Another customer, Mrs. Rose Ogbuu, voiced her discontent with the situation and added that, despite the fluctuating pump price, people would not complain if fuel was always available.
Both the lack of transportation and the fare increase was criticized by other passengers and civil servants as being demoralizing.
Due to the shortage, they claimed that commercial drivers now charged N400 for a journey that was once N250. (NAN)
In conclusion, the scarcity of fuel for many motorists in Nigeria is a major concern. There has been a reduction of vehicles on the road and the passengers are the ones bearing the consequences of high fuel prices.
