As Fuel Scarcity Grounds Abuja - NNPC Blames Tanker Drivers

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As Fuel Scarcity Grounds Abuja - NNPC Blames Tanker Drivers

Fuel queues took over major streets in Abuja yesterday as desperate and frustrated motorists queued for long hours in search of the product in what appears to be the mother of all queues.


Consequently, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has blamed the situation on the strike embarked upon by the National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) and the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD).


Our correspondent observed extremely long queues at the few petrol stations which opened for business in Abuja yesterday, with most others claiming to be out of the product.


Meanwhile, illegal fuel vendors, popularly known as black marketers, have taken over the sale of the product which has become almost impossible to get at filling stations. They sell a litre of petrol for as high as N200 and N220 in some cases. The pump price is N87.

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However, the NNPC insisted yesterday that it had enough stock of petrol to service the country for 27 days at a national consumption rate of 40 million litres per day, explaining that it had stepped up efforts to end the distribution challenges in the fuel supply system.


In a statement made available to journalists by its spokesman, Ohi Alegbe, the Corporation said it had sufficient stock of petrol at its coastal depots in Port Harcourt, Warri and Calabar besides the stock it holds in the national strategic reserves.


It explained that the distribution hitch was due to the industrial action by NARTO and PTD who have refused to lift petroleum products from the coastal depots in protest of the huge amounts they are being owed by the major marketers.


“We are, however, working towards a speedy resolution of the issues to ensure a hitch-free distribution of products across the country,” Alegbe said in the statement.


The Corporation further appealed to NARTO and PTD to call off the strike in the interest of the country and not unleash unnecessary hardship on Nigerians.


The development has resulted in the increase of transport cost within the FCT by as high as 50 per cent in some cases, even as commuters are left stranded at various bus stops due to the fuel scarcity.