Petrol now sells between N240 and N250 per litre in Awka, the Anambra state capital, and its environs.

A correspondent who monitored the situation in Awka on Wednesday reports that the NNPC mega station in the town was closed to customers for lack of products.

Most private outlets had products but sold above the regulated price of between N180 and N190.

Jones Ani, a motorist, said the arbitrary increase in the pump price of petrol was an additional burden on citizens which should be addressed urgently.

Mr Ani said it was no longer pleasurable to use private cars due to the huge maintenance cost while calling on the federal government, through the Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), to protect customers.

He said the pump price of petrol has continued to rise from the normal N185 and now paying N240 per litre.

“Sadly, nobody is watching the marketers, nobody is protecting us. I call on the federal government to address this situation which has lingered for two weeks now,” he said.

A commuter bus operator identified as Emeka said the increase had already been built into fares with an additional N50 on former fares for every intra-city drop.

Mr Emeka said the increase in the price of petrol was affecting their business and other goods and services.

Chinedu Anyaso, chairman of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), said the prevailing pump price reflects what is going on at the private depots where they procure products.

Mr Anyaso said private depot operators are now fully controlling supplies and selling at arbitrary prices without being challenged.

He called on the federal government to address product supply issues to prevent the situation from degenerating.

“In Enugu zone, we don’t have depots, we rely on depots outside the zone for procurement of products, upon that, my members have been doing their best to serve the people at the cheapest possible prices,” he said.

Efforts to get a reaction from NMDPRA were not successful as Victor Orjiakor, operations controller in the Anambra office, did not take his call or respond to a text message sent to him. 

(NAN)