Scarcity: NNPC sells petrol for N148; private depots, N215
Petrol shortage has persisted yesterday across the country, as Depots and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria, DAPPMAN, continued to sell petrol at N215 per litre to marketers.
This is an excess of N67 per litre or 31 per cent when compared to N148 per litre being charged at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL depots.
Independent marketers that patronise the private depots sell the product at over N220 per litre, while the major oil marketers sell at N170 per litre at their filling stations.
Checks by Vanguard showed that many filling stations across the country were shut and the ones with stock continued to sell the product to motorists and other parties at far over the official price, while the ones selling for below N200 had long queues.In Abuja, fuel stations offering the product at the government price of N169 had queues, while the independent marketers, which were selling the product for between N220 and N300 had no queues.
In Lagos, the situation was almost the same, but the little difference being that most of the filling stations offering the product at government-regulated price did not have the product, while the ones selling for N220 also had queues.
In Lagos, black markets dotted the town, particularly in Festac Town, Maryland, Ikeja, Yaba and Mile 2 areas, as the operators charged between N300 and N400 per litre, depending on location.
Chairman, National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, Kebbi Central Motor Park (Sabuwar Tasha), Birnin Kebbi, Alhaji Garba Dan-Malam, who confirmed the development, said: “As leaders, we keep advising our members to be patient; that things will be better. This is because we have hope in the current administration. As motorists, we are not only concerned with the high cost of fuel but also the high costs of vehicle spare parts.
“A typical example is just last year, we used to buy a tyre from N27,000 to N28,500 but now it goes for between N59,000 and N61,000. However, those travelling outside the country will bear witness that the current inflation is not restricted to Nigeria. It is a global trend that engulfed economies across the globe.”
The situation is worst in Lagos, where transporters have hiked fares by more than 100 per cent. At major bus terminals, commuters wait for non-available buses, while the bus drivers blame fuel shortage for the number of the few buses available, however, noting that many of the drivers are in queues at petrol stations.
Another driver explained that the few ones, who got their fuel from the black market had no option but to increase fares so as to recoup their money.
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