The Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), popularly called petrol scarcity has persisted in spite of the 48 hours mandate issued the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited and oil marketers by the Department of State Services, DSS, to make it available for Nigerians.
The country’s secret police, it will be recalled, had on Thursday, given the NNPC and other stakeholders in the downstream sector 48 hours ultimatum to end to the lingering fuel scarcity across the country.
Peter Afunanya, DSS spokesperson, who made this known while addressing journalists in Abuja, stated that the ultimatum came after the agency held a closed-door meeting with stakeholders in the oil sector, who agreed to end the scarcity within the stipulated time.
However, oil marketers, on Friday, said the distribution of the product was still problematic, however expressing optimism that queues for the product at various filling stations would soon disappear.
Similarly, dealers under the aegis of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, threatened to shut down operations if the NNPCL continued to deny them direct access to it in terms of payment for products.
However, a checks on Saturday revealed that many fuel stations in the nation’s capital and its environs were yet to commence sales of the product to customers.
While some NNPC filling stations in the territory seemed to have enough product, many stations were still experiencing the usual long queue.
Some fuel stations in the satellite areas, it was gathered, were selling the product as high as N200 per litre, while stations at the city centre sold between N180 to N190 which is above the official price.
In most of the South-East States, the product is selling for as high as N250 per litre and above.
Further checks showed that it is not different in many other parts of the country.
A civil servant, who spoke with on the difficulty in getting the product, lamented how oil marketers were allegedly taking advantage of the Christmas season to impose fuel price on users.
He stated that the fuel scarcity being experienced across the country was artificially created by people who do not care for the poor.
Said he: “It is Christmas time, this is what they do every year for their selfish gains. They don’t care about the ordinary Nigerians who depend on fuel to power their little businesses.
“Our problem in this country is that we don’t have price regulators. Nobody regulates prices of products in Nigeria, so anybody can wake up and change the price to whatever they like.
“The DSS gave an ultimatum on Thursday, what are they doing now, have they arrested anybody? We are waiting”.
Peter Afunanya, DSS spokesperson, Said when contacted, that the ultimatum issued by the Service was already yielding positive results, adding that some outlet stations had been asked to sell the product for 24 hours in a bid to ease off the queues.
