For several weeks now, Nigerians have been experiencing hell on earth as a result of fuel scarcity. While many spend hours on queues at filling stations or at the mercy of black market operators, others pay high fares. PAUL OKAH in this report looks at the scenario, especially in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
What could be the reason for the latest lingering fuel scarcity being experienced in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Lagos, Katsina and other parts of the country?
The present fuel scarcity started in September, with marketers and the Nigerian National Petroleum Commission Company Limited (NNPC) blaming flooding in Kogi state for the situation in the FCT, especially as the roads were submerged and became impassable in Lokoja for trucks heading to Abuja.
However, with the rainy season gone, harmattan setting in and floods easing up in Kogi and other parts of the country, it remains a wonder to many residents of the FCT that fuel scarcity persists in the nation’s capital.
As a result of the lingering fuel scarcity, many residents pass through horrendous experiences either as vehicle owners or passengers needing transport services to get to work.
Even those needing fuel to power their generators for businesses or domestic uses are also lamenting fuel scarcity as a result of epileptic or nonexistent power supply in their different localities.
Hiked fares
Transportation cost has understandably risen in the FCT and many parts of the country as commercial transport operators manage to transfer the cost of buying cars and maintaining their vehicles to hapless passengers.
In the FCT, as a result of fuel scarcity taxi drivers have added an additional N50 or N100 to the initial fares charged within the city centre, while commercial motorcycles and tricycle operators grudgingly offer services when begged.
It is also common to see passengers queuing, struggling and even fighting over vehicles as fuel scarcity has led to fewer vehicles offering transportation services, while those who offer services impress their importance on passengers.
Black market
Between Dutse and Katampe expressway, there are 11 filling stations, including three belonging to the NNPC, Oando, Gegu Oils, Sunset Energy, Mobile, TotalEnergies, MRS Petroleum, Salbas Limited, AFDIN Petroleum Resources, AA Rano and Shema Petroleum.
However, our reporter observed on Thursday that all the filling stations were not dispensing fuel, while black market operators arranged different litres of fuel in front of the filling stations, where some motorists patronized them.
While many filling stations are hoarding products and claiming to have run out of fuel, the product is readily available at the black market, with the operators always willing to sell in different quantities to car owners willing to pay exorbitant prices.
Investigations by this reporter revealed that some filling stations presently sell a litre of fuel at N200/litre, as against the approved price of N180-N185/litre, while black marketers at the Gwarinpa-Kubwa expressway sell a litre of fuel at N300-N400. Many motorists are forced to patronise them or endure waiting for hours in filling stations.
Speaking with Blueprint Weekend Thursday, a motorist, who identified himself as Peter Adebayo, said he spent five hours on queue at Shafa Filling station at Dutse, only to be told by the pump attendant that they had run out of fuel just when it was getting to his turn.
He said: “I don’t think I can find enough words to express my frustration regarding how angry I am with what I went through today. I have been at the filling station since 5am. At 10 am, I was yet to be served, despite being patient in the unmoving queue. However, just about five cars to my turn, I learnt that they had run out of fuel. It is so annoying. I have no option than to buy from the black market.
“I didn’t budget for this because they say at N350 per litre. The important question people should ask is where the black market people get their fuel. It is perplexing that the filling stations will not have fuel, but the black market always has fuel. I learnt that the filling stations people have fuel, but refuse to sell because they gain more by selling to the black market at N250 per litre in the midnight. There is so much corruption in this country.”
Persistent queues
It is no longer news that many filling stations are shut as a result of not having fuel to sell, while those having petroleum products are presently battling with serving a long queue of cars on a daily basis, enduring insults from ill-tempered car owners.
Hardly will you pass through major roads in the FCT without encountering a long queue of cars, often stretching into the road and disrupting traffic as the car owners often ignore black market operators to rush to wherever they hear a filling station is dispensing fuel.
Homes, business affected
Speaking with this reporter, a landlord in Dutse, FCT, Mr. Daniel Ifeanyi, said there is epileptic power supply in his area, hence the fuel scarcity affecting his homes.
“People may not understand what Nigerians are going through in this fuel scarcity era except they are directly affected the way I am. In my area in Dutse Bmuko, there is rationing of electricity because of the population of the area. We get one day on and a day off in the power supply because of our transformer. Even when the light is restored, it is often of low voltage. As a result, we have to depend on our generators the day it is not our turn to get power supply.
“I can’t count how many times my wife has had to dispose of perishable items because the fridge was not working. The high cost of fuel is making us not run our generator like before. Black marketers sell 10 litres of fuel at N3, 500 and sometimes N4, 000. Filling stations refuse to sell to those with containers. You have to go with your generator before they can sell to you, but who has the patience to stand for more than five hours in a queue? How can you even struggle in a queue with your generator? It’s really a crazy situation. Whatever the problem, let them resolve it so that we can resume our normal lives,” he said.
Marketers react
For some years now, the NNPC has been the sole importer of petroleum products into the country.
Although spokesperson for the NNPC Ltd., Garba Deen Mohammed, was not available to speak on the development, in a publication by a national daily, the National Operations Controller, the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Mike Osatuyi, said there was no fuel in the country as most of his members were unable to get products at depots.
Osatuyi said those few members who were able to get products at the depots bought at between N175-N178 per litre. When asked if the state oil firm had explained to marketers the reasons for the low supply, Osatuyi said his members were not interested “in stories.”
“There’s no fuel. The NNPC is the monopolist supplier and my members have been unable to get products. What we want is products to sell, and we haven’t been getting it for some days now. Let NNPC give us fuel. Let them bring in vessels,” he said.
Also, the chairman, IPMAN western zone, Dele Tajudeen, blamed private depot owners for the hike in price, saying there had been an increase in depot price of fuel from N148.17 per litre to N178 per litre in the last one week and noting that none of the NNPCL depots had the product, prompting private depots to take advantage of the situation.
He said: “The only option for our members is to opt for private depots to keep our business moving. We are totally against the increase because it will affect our profit margins and the masses. Some private depots that have the product deliberately refuse to sell for reasons best known to them. Marketers should not be blamed for the increase in pump price.
“Selling at N170 per litre is not realistic. IPMAN members have no other option than to sell between N195 and N200 per litre within Lagos, Ogun and Oyo states, and between N200 and N210 in Kwara, Ondo, Osun and Ekiti states. We are equally calling on the management of the NNPC and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority to investigate the arbitrary increase in fuel price by the private depot owners.”
