Fuel scarcity spirals into Ondo; motorists, commuters groan
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.
We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.
More from Peoples Gazette
Agriculture
FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology
The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices
Politics
Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku
“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”
States
Police rescue abducted woman in Delta
Mr Edafe said the victim was abducted on Wednesday at her residence within the Amukpe neighbourhood in Sapele LGA.
Economy
Banking system liquidity falls N930 billion, overnight rate rises
The apex bank attributed the liquidity decline to the settlement of its treasury bills auction.
Abuja
NSCDC arrests official over alleged diversion, sale of service rifles
The NSCDC uncovered an alleged diversion and illegal sale of service rifles by some officers.
States
Customs intercepts N2.16 billion drugs, wildlife in Kano, Jigawa
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Kano/Jigawa Area Command, seized goods valued at N2.16 billion between July and August.
Heading 2
NSCDC rescues 15 minors sold for N2 million each
The NSCDC said three of the victims were rescued in Anambra, Imo and Enugu, respectively, while 12 others were rescued in a coordinated operation across the eastern transit routes.
Agriculture
NADF blames low investor confidence for Africa’s agriculture challenges
Mohammed Ibrahim, NADF’s executive secretary, said attracting capital into agriculture requires stronger leadership, reliable data, and predictable markets.
