Transporters Hike Fares As Fuel Scarcity Lingers

Transportation cost in Abuja and the it’s suburbs have increased as the current scarcity of Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol, in fillings stations persists.

This is as black marketers continue to have a field days selling fuels as high as N4000 for 10 litres in front of major filling stations with are long queues of vehicles and no petrol to dispense.

LEADERSHIP checks across Abuja showed that transporters hiked their fares by as much as 50 per cent and there are few vehicles thus leaving many commuters stranded.

A transporter, Jamil Bello told LEADERSHIP he increased his fares because he cannot get fuel to buy at the filling stations because of the scarcity. According to him, “The fuel I’m using now I bought from the black marketers. I was at the filling station for five hours but could not buy fuel.

He also lamented that the filling stations are hoarding fuel from motorists but selling to black marketers who in turn sell at exorbitant prices to motorists

“These black marketers, how are they getting the fuel that they are selling? It’s from the filling stations. We are queuing up but no fuel to buy yet all these black marketers have steady supply,” Bello lamented.

Motorists continued to besiege the few filling stations that dispensed PMS in Abuja and neighbouring Nasarawa and Niger states over the weekend, as many outlets in Nasarawa and other states sold the commodity at 300/litre and above.

The current fuel scarcity enters its second week today.

Recall that the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) had last Thursday, explained that the current fuel scarcity in Abuja and other surrounding states is caused by the inability of fuel trucks to have access to Lokoja roads.

The regulatory body said the roads have been flooded.

“The current queue situation in some parts of Abuja and its environs is as a result of delays in arrival of fuel trucks. This is happening as a result of heavy flooding that has submerged parts of the highway passing through Lokoja, Kogi State and also an incidence of a failed road section around Badegi-Agaie highway in Niger state.

Recall that part of Kogi and Benue states have in recent days bee flooded due to incessant rain and release of water from the upper Lado dam in Cameroun. This is a yearly occurrence at this time of the year when most dams in Nigeria and neighouring countries like Cameroun and Niger are over filled with water.

This has occasioned yearly release of water from these dams to avoid them breaking their backs.