48—Vanguard, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2012
As a result of the increase in pump price, many motorists now besiege the few stations that sell at N97 per litre to purchase fuel after spending several hours on the long queues
Akure, Ondo State
Typical long queue at a filling station.
Fuel scarcity to bite harder — Investigation Continues from Page 5 many filling stations refuse to sell the product at the official pump price of N97 per litre under the nose of the NNPC and the Ministry of Petroleum Resources as well as the Presidency. Investigations across the city revealed that many filling stations, especially those located in the outskirts continue to sell their products at between N110 and N125 per litre. This situation often led to long queues at stations that still bother to sell at the official rate. Long queues could be seen at major filling stations within the city, including those operated by the NNPC, who continue to sell at the approved pump price. However, commuters who may need the product in a hurry are forced to patronize the numerous black market operators strewn across major roads in the city and around the filling stations, or drive to filling stations around the suburbs which often sell at higher rates.
Abuja after Sallah Filling stations in Gwarinpa, Wuse 2, Garki, Maitama and Central Business areas are known to attract the longest queues since they sell at the government-approved pump price of N97 per litre. A few kilometers drive from the
city centre to areas like Lugbe, Gwagwalada, Nyanya and Mararaba, however, fuel is sold in many filling stations for N110 or more. Some of the commuters within the city believe that the Eid el Kabir holidays may have led to a reduction in the demand for products, as many people had to travel out of the city for the festivity, leading to worries of a possible return, at the end of the holidays, to the massive queues of the past few weeks. The NNPC, has attempted to assure that it has abundant stock of petroleum products to last for another several weeks. Ahead of the Eid el Kabir festivity and the envisaged heavy movement of people for the holidays, the Ministry of Petroleum Resources and the NNPC had tried to assure the public that it has stepped up fuel supply to the Federal Capital Territory and across the nation to meet up demands.
Bayelsa In Yenagoa, a litre of petrol is sold for N120 per litre at filling stations by independent marketers in the state due partly to what an insider blamed on the parlous state of the East-West Road and the paltry quota allotted to the state by the DPR depot, Port
Harcourt. With the Patani flank of the East-West Road in Delta and the AhoadaMbiama axis in Rivers State cut off by flood, Bayelsa State was literally cut off from the rest of the country, prompting the state government to direct construction giant, Julius Berger to intervene in the AhoadaMbiama front, a development which helped improve vehicular movement on the route. But the state, it was learnt, will continue to experience short fall in product due largely to the epileptic supply chain. The state, according to informed sources, is allocated a meager five truck daily which most times do not get to the state. Marketers in the state are compelled to source for the product in the open market in Port Harcourt with some of them travelling as far as Lagos to source for fuel from private tank farm owners if they must keep their filling stations running. The result is that product users are made to bear brunt, a station attendant who pleaded anonymity told Vanguard. Interestingly, only the NNPC mega station in the capital city is selling at N97 per liter, and as a result, always having long queues spanning 2km on very busy days. Though most of the fill-
ing stations in the state capital are under lock and key due to non availability of the product the few stations such as Emily, Ebilade, Timikon, AP, Emitari and Macary sell at N120 per litre. Surprisingly the product which is lacking in most of the stations in town is readily available in the black market where a litre costs between N180 and N200. Vanguard recalls that attempt by the state task force to compel the independent marketers to sell at the approved pump price a couple of weeks ago led to a shut down of business by the latter. One of the major players in the business, Chief Gospel Kpokpowei , blamed the seeming scarcity on the inability of marketers to source the product at the depot due to the paltry allocation allotted the state. Kpokpowei who confirmed that only seven trucks are allocated the state in a week said independent marketers in the state are forced to go to the open market to procure fuel. He noted with regret that there was no way they could sell at the government approved pump price since they bought the product at the open market at a more expensive price than the depot cost. Also, the station manager of Timikon, who simply gave his Bukola
corroborated the position of Chief Kpokpowei saying they bought the product from the open market because of the delay in supply and meagre allocation accorded the state. In his remark, the chairman of the state petroleum task force, Benjamin Abrakasa, lauded the resilience of the marketers in ensuring availability of the product in the state in spite of the crisis situation caused by flood.
It's above N97 pump price in Asaba Majority of petrol stations in Asaba, Delta State capital and environs are selling petrol above the official pump price of N97 per litre. Investigation by our reporter revealed that the filling stations sell between N110 and N120 per litre. Except the three NNPC fuel depots located in Asaba, Total and Mobile filling stations, virtually others sell above pump price. Most worrisome of it all, is that the some of the stations have even gone ahead to adjust their metres. At one of the filling stations on the Asaba-Benin expressway, the manager who simply gave his name as Chiedu explained that “it is not our fault that we are selling above N100 because of short supply”.
THE fuel scarcity across Ondo State has lingered for almost one month. Except for one or two of the major marketers all other independent and major marketers sell the product for between N120 and N130 per litre across the state. Long queues characterised the few filling stations that sell at the approved N97 per litre while dealers do not sell such product for more than three hours. Black market operations have been booming across the state in the past one month. It was discovered that majority of the major marketers in the state sell above the pump price of N97 per litre while all the independent marketers sell for N120 per litre across the state. Major marketers who sell for N97 per litre close early only to sell into jerry cans late at night at N120 per litre. Even the NNPC Mega Station in the state has run out of stock for days. Major and independent marketers interviewed said that they will be selling at a loss if they sell their consignment at N97 per litre. According to them they bridge the products from a far distance and the cost of transport has eaten into their gains. The state consumer agency has been going round to sanction filling station selling above the pump price. It has sealed many station which equally have been under dispensing the product to un suspecting consumers across the state.
Fuel Sells for N140 in C-River In Calabar there has been scarcity of Premium Motor Spirit, while hoarding of the product and the sale at black market has become the order of the day. For about two weeks now, most of the Independent Marketers in the state have been selling the product above the government Continues on Page 49