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Fuel Scarcity

Fuel scarcity bites harder in Maiduguri
 
By:
Wed, 9 Mar 2016   ||   Nigeria, Maiduguri
 

The Presidential Task Force (PRTF) on distribution of petroleum products in Borno State has attributed the three-week fuel crises to the on-going “joint strikes” of National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas (NUPENG) and Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASAN), as the truck drivers suspended lifting of fuel to the North.

This was disclosed on Wednesday in Maiduguri by the Borno and Yobe states PRTF Chairman, Alhaji Bukar Gana in an exclusive interview on the on-going fuel crises that hit the business and transportation sectors in the states.

He said that the fuel crises may not ease anytime soon because of the strikes embarked by NUPENG and PENGASAN over the reforms of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr Ibe Kachikwu.

His words: “The fuel crises in Maiduguri metropolis, and Damaturu, the Yobe state capital may not ease, because our supplies to the two states have dropped, instead of an increase caused by these strikes of members of the oil and gas unions in the country.

“We have been working round the clock to ensure that the few number of filling stations that have stocks are opened for sale, so that the long queues at filling stations are reduced before the end of this week. As I speak to you, we are going from station to station to ensure that fuel, is released for sale to motorists.

“Today (Wednesday), the PRTF has 16 filling stations with fuel to dispense to motorists, because 75 per cent of the vehicles in Maiduguri metropolis, were abandoned by motorists at filling stations that had fuel being supplied yesterday (Tuesday).

The problem we are facing was not the orderly sale of petrol to motorists, but the drop in supply caused by the ongoing twin strikes of NUPENG and PENGASAN.”

Speaking on the fuel crises, sources from the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) in Maiduguri also told our correspondent that most of the filling stations have fuel to dispense to motorist at official price of N86.50 a litre.

“The two-week fuel crises could be deliberate, as supplies of fuel to Borno and Yobe states, were not suspended after overcoming last year’s fuel crises in January, 2016. We have all the manifests of all the number of trucks of fuel distributed in Maiduguri and Damaturu for sale at official pump price.

“What we had observed, and confirmed was the hoarding of fuel by some major and independent marketers in Maiduguri and Damaturu metropolises.

This prompted President Muhammadu Buhari to constitute the PRTF on the orderly distribution of petroleum products in the two affected states in the North East zone of DPR,” said the DPR source, which was not authorised to speak on the fuel crises.

In Maiduguri, black marketers that sell fuel in jerry cans and plastic gallons cashed in on the fuel crisis to earn more money.

The black marketers, who comprise of youths that are jobless, however resort to the massive buying of fuel in jerry cans, taxis, and private vehicles at night; and empty same product into four-litre cans and sale each at N325.

The NNPC mega station on Damboa road yesterday, was selling fuel at N86 a litre with long queues of vehicles, extending for a distance of over a kilometre, since the two-week fuel crises.

Hamisu Audu, a motorist at the station also told newsmen that he abandoned his vehicle overnight, to join the queue this morning, as he has 56 vehicles ahead of him before he fills his tank at mega station.

Commuters and other motorists in Maiduguri have also resorted to tricycles, as most of the taxis daily joined the queues at the NNPC mega station for fuel.

“We have no options of using our vehicles to commute, other than to park our vehicles and join Keke Napep at N50 a drop or charter it for N500!” said Usman, a senior officer with the Ministry of Works at the Musa Usman Secretariat complex.

 

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