Fuel scarcity has spiralled into Akure, the capital of Ondo state, with motorists and commuters lamenting the situation.

There were long queues at filling stations that extended onto roads.

Akure transporters have hiked their fares.

On Monday morning, many fuel stations were not open to customers, citing the unavailability of petrol.

Peoples Gazette’s checks revealed that few stations dispensing fuel around Ondo Road, Igbakara Oke, Oke Aro, and Ijoka area of the Akure South LGAs sold the product between N800 and N1,000 per litre.

A few impatient motorists patronised the black market.

A driver, Adekunle Ayeni, who plies the Akure-Ikare Akoko route, said, “Sadly, none of the gas stations opened for business. I’m aware it’s deliberate because they have the product and did not want to sell but are awaiting either a fall in price or an increment.

“I have no choice but to buy from the ones selling at a higher price of N800 to fuel my vehicle. Our government need to do something urgent to fix this. We are suffering.”

A filling station manager told The Gazette that some petrol marketers were not offloading petrol for now due to a likely fall in petroleum product prices.

He said, “I do hope this did not extend beyond the coming weeks because people are already boiling over the situation. We have to shut our doors because what we have in stock is just too small for us to dispense.

“And we have not go to re-stock. Some of us are aware that the petrol price might likely come down and reasons why the government needed to do something urgently to calm the nerves of the people.”

The chairman of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Ore depot in Ondo, Shina Amoo, told The Gazette that they did not get fuel from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), hence the reason for the scarcity in the state.

Mr Amoo said IPMAN members resorted to buying from third parties at higher prices, stressing that the fuel marketers in Ondo are shutting down operations due to low or non-profit margins.

“So, if we are not getting the product from NNPCL, then how do we sell? It’s that bad for us and I hope this will be addressed soon,” he said.