Barely three days to Christmas, queues for fuel resurfaced yesterday in the Federal Capital Territory with virtually all filling stations crowded by motorists.

National Mirror gathered that marketers are deliberately hoarding the products, hoping to hike the pump price when they might have created artificial scarcity.

“This is not real, there is fuel everywhere, but some of our colleagues are deliberately hoarding the product to put pressure on motorists to buy at a higher price in the case of scarcity” stated a marketer, who pleaded anonymity.

Our correspondent monitored the situation and discovered that the queues, which kept growing by the minutes caused heavy traffic gridlock around adjourning roads to the filling stations.

At the Olusengun Obasanjo Way, which habours three filling stations, including NNPC Mega Station, Oando, and Forte Oil, the queues extended to about two kilometers.

Furthermore, from Wuse to Maitama, Asokoro to Area 1 and Jabi areas, the story was the same causing traffic jam as better parts of the roads were taken over by motorists waiting for fuel.

Also black market sale thrived as fuel hustlers were seen clustered at every strategic junction with gallons of the commodity chasing motorists.

Those who could not bear the queues bought 10 litres for as much as N2000 while motorists who waited in queues spent long hours in their cars hoping to refill.

Meanwhile, the management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, in a statement has assured the public that there is no cause for alarm.

It is recalled that NNPC and its downstream subsidiary, the Pipelines and Products Marketing Company, PPMC, has said it has over 32 days stock of petroleum products available for supply across the nation during the yuletide season and beyond.

The Corporation also disclosed 17 additional petroleum laden vessels are at the Lagos port waiting to discharge to the various depots for onward distribution to members of the public” read part of the statement.

NNPC further assured that everything is being done to ensure that there was no hitch whatsoever in the supply system that could bring any form of hardship to motorists and those who intend to travel during the period.

The corporation called on members of the public to avoid panic buying of petroleum products as that could lead to needless queues or cause fire accidents that could lead to loss of lives and propertyas it advised marketers to desist from hoarding or diversion of petroleum products as any marketer caught in the act would be sanctioned.

The two main oil worker unions had begun an indefinite nation-wide strike on Monday.

•Adapted from National Mirror.