By Musa Adamu, Ayoni M. Agbabiaka, Abuja, and Amaka Ifeakandu, Lagos
Barely three days after a reprieve over fuel scarcity, have long queues again become major features in filling stations in the Federal Capital Territory and other parts of the country.
Blueprint reports that since the beginning of May, queues at filing stations, especially, in the FCT and the adjoining states such as Nasarawa and Niger, had progressively reduced.
But, a tour of filling stations in the FCT and Mararaba, Masaka and Keffi, all in Nasarawa state, shows that queues had gotten lengthier in the past three days.
While most filling stations, especially the major ones, had fuel, our tour found that chaos as a result of lengthy queues at the filing stations were back.
For residents of the FCT for instance, the fuel situation is fast becoming a puzzle, wondering if queues at filling stations had become a permanent feature.
Some of the residents who spoke to our correspondents were of the opinion that the situation should be made stable.
According to Taiye Oladimeji, “that queue vanished last weekend till Wednesday. We were happy that it had come to an end, only for it to resurface on Thursday. There are now queues in the filling stations, though the queues are not as long as it was in the previous days.”
Asked how he has been managing with the scarcity, Oladimeji, said, he does not care how long he might need to stay on the queue to get fuel, even if it took a day, he will wait.
He said: “I don’t buy black market. Since the beginning of the fuel scarcity, I take my car to the filling station after marking the register in the office and I will queue to buy a full tank at NNPC for N4, 500 and it would last for one week. I don’t mind if it will take the whole day because I hate the black market.”
Another resident, Mr. Solomon Chimezie, however said, he is hopeful that the scarcity will finally disappear because “the price of fuel which was sold for between N130 to N200 in the last few weeks has reduced in some fillings already,” adding that getting the product was no longer difficult.
Asked what he thought was responsible for the development, a motorist waiting to buy the product at the NNPC mega station in Auta Balefi in Nasarawa state, Mr. Jonathan Ashezi, believed that the resurgence of queues could be the resolve of oil marketers opposed to the new order in the sector.
He said: “Well I can’t say, but you know most oil marketers are not happy that government is enforcing the official pump price. Remove government hands in the pricing today, you will see fuel everywhere the next moment.”
Also responding, Mr. Israel Tsoho, who came to buy fuel in a gallon at the filling station but was refused, said government was not tough enough on the marketers.
He said:” Marketers are blackmailing the government by hoarding the product in order to make room for increase in price and unfortunately, government is letting them have their way.”
But an industry insider who declined to be identified said there was the need for the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, to talk less to the press about the thinking of government.
He said:” You know that oil market all over the world is vulnerable to statements made by policy makers. Their statement often drives prices up or down; this is why they are always choosy in their choice of words. Among other reasons marketers are only reacting to his statement in which he said that major policy in the industry would be unveiled in a matter of days. I tell you unless that statement comes to pass, we may not see the end of queues at the filling station.”
Kachikwu had stated in the Town Hall meeting in Kaduna yesterday that government was going to make a major policy concerning fuel supply known to Nigerians in three months.
Before the minister’s statement, marketers had also been quoted in the media that pump price would soon be reviewed upward by government.
The story is not any different in Lagos state, as visits to some of the filling stations by Blueprint showed that fuel crisis may last longer than expected.
At Ojota Total Filling Station, a lot of vehicles were on a queue waiting for the workers to start selling petrol to them, but at- Forte Oil petrol station located at Gbagada and MRS filling stations at Alapere and Ojota, the queues had blocked road, causing traffic for other vehicles.
Some motorists at MRS at Ojota told one of our correspondent that although there was a long queue but moving fast in an orderly manner.
Fuel crisis which was caused by shortage of dollars has contributed to the rise in the prices of transportation, food stuff in the Oyingbo, Yaba and Ketu markets, all in Lagos state. This is testing an already struggling economy and challenging the government to find a solution.
Nigeria has suffered fuel shortages since this year because it lacks the infrastructure to refine its crude at home. As a result, it imports almost all of its petrol and other refined products — paying in dollars.
When contacted via a text message, the Group General Manger, Group Public Affairs Division, Garba Deen Muhammed, did not respond to our inquest as at this time of filling the report.
