Motorists, workers and traders were yesterday caught unaware by the sudden reappearance of fuel scarcity across the states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

While at some bus stops, hordes of commuters struggled to board commercial buses, many filling stations were under lock and key.

It was however, gathered that the situation might worsen as depots nationwide stopped loading tankers for deliveries to marketers.

Sources close to the depots and marketers said that until they were sure of what price the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) would sell fuel to them at the depots, they will remain shut.

IPMAN’s National Vice President, Abubakar Maigandi, also confirmed that all the depots had stopped loading.

He, however, ruled out allegations that marketers were hoarding fuel.

“There is enough product, but up till now, they (depots) refused to load. Our trucks are in all Nigerian depots but they are not loading now. They stopped loading today (yesterday). You know yesterday (Monday) they didn’t load because of the inauguration (of President Bola Tinubu) and the public holiday,” he added.

Maigandi said that ”panic buying” was the major cause of the long queues seen across the country

In spite of the stoppage of loading by the depots, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) assured in a statement that it has sufficient stock of fuel.

Group Chief Executive Officer of the company Mele Kyari, also said that “they were monitoring all distribution networks to ensure that scarcity did not reoccur.

Similarly, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) said it had been monitoring fuel situation across the country to stop marketers from hoarding.”

Fields reports, however, showed that few stations that dispensed fuel yesterday had long vehicular queues and jerry can-bearing residents waiting endlessly for hours.

Although some of such stations, especially in Lagos, sold fuel at N185 per litre, buyers were made to part with between N200 and as much as 1,000 before being attended to by attendants. At some of such stations, N185 displayed on their pumps, but they sold far above that.

The situation worsened in the evening yesterday with motorists lamenting the astronomical hike in transport fares.

The states worst hit by the development are Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Ondo, Osun, Ekiti, Imo, Delta, Abia, Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Plateau, Adamawa, Kaduna, Kwara, Niger, Jigawa and Taraba states.

In these states, the pump price was between N22O and N700 per litre. At black markets, a litre sold for as much as N1,000.

Governors Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), Biodun Oyebanji (Ekiti), Ademola Adeleke (Osun) AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq (Kwara) and Caleb Mutfwang (Plateau), who expressed dismay over the “artificial” scarcity, warned marketers against taking advantage of Nigerians.

While Oyebanji ordered the closure of filling stations hoarding fuel, AbdulRazaq threatened to revoke the Certificates of Occupancy of errant fuel dealers.

To also show how displeased he was over the development, Adeleke announced the setting up of a special team headed by his Chief of Staff, Kazeem Akinleye, to monitor filling stations in the state.

His Lagos State counterpart, Sanwo-Olu, who paid a surprise visit to civil servants at the state secretariat in Alausa, Ikeja, described the hike in petrol price and the queues at filling stations as ‘unfair’.

“I think it’s unfair of our major marketers to seize opportunities in areas when not needed,” the governor said.

The governor, who was in accompanied by Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat, however, told the civil servants that “we might need to belt up a little bit … for a better life in future.”

He said: “We all need to be sincere in this country if we really want to get things done. Let us know we might need to belt up a little bit.

“There is nothing that has changed in that pronouncement that should have caused queues, but I’m sure the Federal Government is able to deal with it. I encourage everyone to be law-abiding, go about their normal businesses and things will turn out for the better for us.”

At the Civil Service Commission, Ministries of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation (WAPA), Economic Planning and Budget as well as Youth and Social Development, Sanwo-Olu explained that the visit was to encourage staff members.

Adeleke warns Osun marketers

In Osogbo, the Osun State capital, Adeleke issued a stern warning to fuel dealers for causing “unnecessary hardship for the people.”

He said: “This deliberate action of hoarding fuel is not only inhumane, but unpatriotic and will not be allowed by the government. To this end, the Special Monitoring Team on fuel scarcity set up by Governor Ademola Adeleke headed by the Chief of Staff, Kazeem Akinleye, is still effective and shall not condone any form of economic sabotage.

“As of today (yesterday), the committee shall begin special monitoring of all the filling stations across the state in collaboration with law enforcement agencies and other stakeholders.

“Any fuel station found guilty of hoarding fuel to create artificial scarcity shall be sealed off and operators prosecuted for the crime of economic sabotage.”

Abdulrazaq threatens to revoke Cs -of -O of errant marketers

Kwara State Governor AbdulRazaq set up a team to monitor the sale of fuel by stations in the state.

He also threatened to clamp down on marketers found to be hoarding fuel.

A Government House statement on his displeasure with the activities of the marketers reads: “The governor is seriously concerned about reports of sudden fuel scarcity in different parts of the state. This is totally uncalled for. He asks fuel marketers to immediately discharge fuel to the public under the normal pricing system since they had bought what they currently have at subsidised rates.

“Creating artificial scarcity amounts to an intentional misrepresentation of the statement of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on the question of fuel subsidy. The people should not be made to undergo any hardship.

“The governor urges the marketers to desist from anything that qualifies as economic sabotage of the people. Hoarding fuel bought at subsidised price and creating panic in the state is opportunistic and will not be condoned.

“Fuel stations are to note that the Task Force will dip into their pits. Any filling stations found to be hoarding fuel will have their Certificate of Occupancy (Cs-of-O) revoked, among other penalties.”

Oyebanji orders stations to sell at the official price

In Ado-Ekiti, Oyebanji directed all filling stations to sell fuel at the approved price or risk being shut down indefinitely.

He gave the directive during a meeting with the leadership of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), members of the state task force and heads of security agencies in the state.

The governor directed the task force to visit all filling stations and seal any that is hoarding petroleum products or selling at an unauthorised price or found to have manipulated their meters.

He said: “We will not sit here and allow some people to make life difficult for our people. The subsidy removal has not been effected. Any filling station hoarding fuel or selling at unauthorised prices will be sealed indefinitely. The task force and the security agents will go out Wednesday (today). I have called this meeting so we can both look at the situation together because any filling station that is sealed will remain so until the end of the year.”

“No station has the right to hoard fuel. If they did not give you fuel or you have exhausted your supply, we will understand, and nobody will blame you for not selling fuel.”

Oyebanji disclosed that state governors, under the aegis of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF), will meet on the issue of the planned subsidy removal next week, adding that Ekiti would not tolerate any attempt by any marketer to inflict hardship on the people through hoarding and unauthorised price hikes.

The marketers apologised for the scarcity and promised to deploy their own task force to ensure compliance with the governor’s directive.

Mutfwang appeals to petrol dealers

Also in Jos, the Plateau State capital, Governor Mutfwang warned marketers against creating unnecessary scarcity and hiking pump price.

The governor, in a statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Gyang Bere, said if the quest to build a new and united Plateau, must be concretised, citizens must take deliberate steps to avoid issues that could further inflict hardship on an already traumatised citizenry.

Fuel scarcity, sit-at-home cripple movement in Anambra

The scarcity of fuel and sit-at-home order by the Indigenous People of Biafran (IPOB) in honour of Biafran heroes, crippled movements in the state.

Some transporters who planned to embark on journeys to and from Onitsha in defiance of the IPOB order were disappointed as they could not find where to procure fuel.

Bola Oyebola, Adekunle Jimoh, Rasaq Ibrahim, Toba Adedeji, Chris Njoku, Sunny Nwankwo, Nsa Gill, Damian Duruiheoma, Kolade Adeyemi, Elo Edremoda, Onimisi Alao, AbdulGafar Alabelewe, Ernest Nwokolo, Osagie Otabor, Justina Asishana, Ahmed Rufai, Bassey Anthony, Ogochukwu Anioke, Nwanosike Onu, Victor Gai and Emma Elekwa (The Nation)

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