Motorists in Abuja are still struggling to buy petrol for the fourth day running.

The retail outlets between Wuse, Gwarimpa, Wuye and Kubwa expressway still have long queues on Wednesday, while others were not selling the product.

A taxi driver, Faruk Isah, told NAN that he got to the petrol station at 6:30 am, adding, “I bought (fuel at the) black market yesterday, and I did not make any profit.”

A private car owner, George Unaeze, said the roadside fuel he bought on Tuesday was adulterated, adding that this made him join the long line on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, Peoples Gazette reported that the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) said it would not hesitate to apply appropriate sanctions on marketers hoarding petroleum products.

Sarki Auwalu, Director, DPR, gave the warning in a statement issued on Tuesday in Lagos.

Mr. Auwalu said the warning was necessitated by queues at filling stations in some states.

According to him, there is product sufficiency in the country from available records, and there is no need for hoarding by any marketer.

Mr. Auwalu said, “The DPR will not hesitate to apply appropriate sanctions on any outlet found wanting in this regard.

“The regulatory agency has set up a special task force to intensify surveillance and monitoring of all retail outlets and depots nationwide to check the anomaly.”

He, therefore, advised the general public against panic buying.

Mr. Auwalu assured them that the DPR would continue to provide its regulatory focus of quality, quantity, integrity, and safety for the downstream sector’s effective operations. 

the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation advised motorists to stop panic buying of petrol, insisting it has no plan to increase the ex-depot price in March.

But queues at filling stations persisted.

NNPC disclosed this in a statement by its spokesman, Kennie Obateru, in Abuja on Sunday.

The ex-depot price is the price at which depot owners sell products to marketers. The price determines how much marketers will sell to motorists at their various fuel stations.

“Contrary to speculations of an imminent increase in the price of PMS in the country, the NNPC has ruled out any increment in the ex-depot price of petrol in March.

“The corporation was not contemplating any rise in the price of petrol in March in order not to jeopardise ongoing engagements with organised labour and other stakeholders on an acceptable framework that will not expose the ordinary Nigerian to any hardship,” he said.

Most fuel stations in the Federal Capital Territory are currently not selling the product, while queues are seen in few stations dispensing to motorists.

Mr. Obateru also cautioned petroleum products marketers not to engage in an arbitrary price increase or hoarding of petrol to create artificial scarcity and unnecessary hardship for Nigerians.