The lingering fuel scarcity in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, has continued to bite harder as vehicle owners and commuters spend hours at different fuel stations across the state capital without success.

Visit to some fuel stations in the metropolis revealed that there were long queues without any hope of getting this essential commodity by residents.

In some stations where the product was available, it was being sold between 100 and 130 naira unofficially.

As a result of this development, prices of essential commodities and transport fares in and outside the state have been raised considerably, making life difficult for residents who bear the brunt of the scarcity.

Residents, whose means of livelihood depend mostly on the use of the Premium Motor Spirit also known as petrol, have called on authorities concerned to do the needful to address their plight.

Also in Ondo State, in spite of the fact that oil marketers have started lifting fuel, consumers still find it difficult to get the product easily at the filling stations.

A visit by Channels Television to some filling stations in Akure, the State capital revealed that only a few major oil marketers are selling petrol at the official price of 87 naira per litre.

The independent marketers, however, are still selling at between N120 and N150 per litre.

Long queues of vehicles, motorbikes as well as jerrycans were noticed‎ at the stations selling at the official price where consumers hustle to outwit one another to purchase the product.

But the ones selling at higher prices do not have much patronage.

Some consumers who spoke to Channels Television wondered why the price of fuel is not uniform and equally lamented the agonies they go through to purchase the product.

They called on the government agency saddled with the responsibility of regulating the pricing of fuel to wake up to its responsibilities.

For weeks, petrol stations across Nigeria witnessed long queues, triggered by non-payment of subsidy claims to oil marketers.

The situation continued even after the Federal Government announced that it had paid 156 billion naira to the marketers as at last week.

The situation left many Nigerians to spend between five to six hours waiting to buy fuel. Man hours were lost.

While sale was ongoing at some fuel stations visited by Channels Television’s crew, some other fuel stations were not selling the product even after they had received supply.

The payment claims impasse that led to the short supply of fuel seemed to have been resolved in the meeting between the government officials and petroleum marketers but the persisting scarcity is beginning to take its toll on Africa’s largest economy.

•Photo shows fuel queue.

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