Many filling stations were closed in Abuja and about five other states on Wednesday as the scarcity of Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol caused heavy queues at the few outlets that dispensed the product.
Thousands of commuters in the Federal Capital Territory, Nasarawa, Niger, Gombe, Sokoto and Anambra states were left stranded at various bus stops due to the scarcity of PMS required by transporters to run their vehicles.
This led to a hike in transport fares in the affected states, as the few transporters who had petrol raised their rates.
It was gathered that the scarcity was due to a shortage in the supply of PMS to the nation’s capital and other states, as this led to the closure of filling stations in the affected areas.
Oil marketers, however, stated that they would hold a meeting with the management of the retail subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited today (Thursday) to know the cause of the shortage and how to tackle it.
Hundreds of motorists besieged the Conoil and Total filling stations that sold petrol in front of the corporate headquarters of NNPC in Abuja on Wednesday.
This led to vehicular traffic on the roads leading to NNPC headquarters and other surrounding companies in the Central Business District of Abuja.
Several filling stations in Zuba, Niger State, including NNPC, AYM Shafa, among others, were closed on Wednesday for lack of petrol to dispense.
Similarly, the NNPC outlet on Arab Road, Kubwa, Abuja, had no product to sell. Many other outlets along the Kubwa-Zuba expressway were also shut. In Nyanya, Nasarawa State, many filling stations were closed.
Their inability to operate piled pressure on the few stations that had PMS on Wednesday, leading to massive queues by motorists at these outlets.
Oil marketers, however, stated that the reason for the shortage in the supply of PMS to Abuja and neighbouring states was being investigated, adding that a meeting would be held on the matter today (Thursday).
“It is obvious that there is supply shortage in Abuja and other states that are close to the FCT (Federal Capital Territory),” the National Secretary, Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Chief John Kekeocha, told our correspondent.
He added, “This is the reason why many filling stations in these areas are not selling PMS, which, of course, has led to the serious queues you see in the few ones that are dispensing the product. I cannot tell you the reason for this supply shortage now.
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“But we are meeting with NNPC Regal tomorrow (Thursday), and this is going to form part of our discussions. The matter is being looked into right now, and we hope to find a solution to it during the meeting.”
Earlier, the National President, IPMAN, Abubakar Maigandi, told our correspondent that the queues for petrol in many states would be a thing of the past when the Dangote Petroleum Refinery starts pumping out PMS to the domestic market.
But when asked whether the refinery had briefed marketers about when it would start pumping out the product, Maigandi replied, “We don’t know the time. But since he said he would start it, I know that he will do that.
“So we are still waiting and we know that once he starts releasing petrol to the domestic market, this issue of fuel scarcity and queues will become a thing of the past.”
His position was corroborated by the IPMAN National Public Relations Officer, Chief Ukadike Chinedu, who also expressed hope that the Port Harcourt Refining Company would start producing refined petroleum products very soon.
