TUE, MAY 30 2023-theGBJournal |With petrol (PMS) price well above N600 in the black market and between N450-N600 depending on the retail outlet today, commuters and vehicle owners are venting their anger on ”greedy” retailers across the country, with some wishing they are executed at the ”bar beach” like ”the robbers they are for their treachery.”
The queues surfaced Monday shortly after Nigeria’s new President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu announced his intentions to scrap the contentious fuel subsidies during his inaugural speech in Abuja.
Business owners are already begining to feel the impact as most of their workers are left stranded at bus stops or at petrol station.
”This type of situation hampers productivity to a great extent,” one analysts said.
”The retailers are the greatest thieves in the country today,” says one Martins G. (not full names), who told theGBJournal that he has been on queue since 5am today when he first heard of the news of the spreading scarcity.
”The President announced his intention to scrap the subsidy only yesterday, and they have all shut down their pumps. This is unacceptable. The President did not say ”with immediate effect”. I bought petrol freely from this station barely 24 hours ago, so why is their gate shut,” the very angry Martims queried.
Millions of commuters were left bemused at bus stops across the country, and in the Lagos metropolis most were seen trekking to their places of work, not sure the reason (s) for the ”artificial scarcity.”
”All the buses are queuing at the petrol station, so we have no option. And their prices now are unbearable,” one Angela Ofigbo said as she struggled along the congested walk way at Isolo, a suburb in Lagos.
At virtually every petrol station in country, motorists are fighting to get a few litres while black market vendors are having a field day as most of them, from our investigation received their supply from owners or workers at the petrol stations.
Petrol station owners our correspondents approached to explain the sudden scarcity and shut down, turned down our request to give insight despite the assurance from the NNPC Monday that they have enough petrol in stock.
NNPC Group CEO during at a press conference Monday assured Nigerians amid the sudden reappearance of fuel queues around the country, that the corporation has sufficient supply of petroleum products, particularly PMS in the country and advised that there is no reason to panic.
Many motorists say they don’t know who or what to believe anymore.
”That is the NNPC’s usual reactive response to fuel scarcity in the country,” one analysts said.
”They have never set an example by punishing seen and perceived hoarders of the commodity. NNPC pretend they don’t know how much fuel is consumed in the country, so they can’t tell you the cause of a sudden scarcity such as we are witnessing now.”
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