Residents of the Nigeria Federal Capital Territory, Abuja are still facing uncertainty over the availability of fuel as the scarcity that started four days ago still lingers.

CEOAFRICA correspondent in Abuja disclosed that long queues can still be seen in some filling stations across four areas in Abuja over the inadequate supply of the Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol.

Residents of Bwari, Kubwa, Lugbe and Wuse in the Nigeria’s capital are still living in suspense as there have been fears over a planned increase in the pump price of the product. Some are now buying fuel out of fear as there are fears that it may become too costly in the coming days.

Our correspondent who monitored the situation in these parts of Abuja observed that though the queues are not as long as the ones seen when the situation started on Monday, they are still there. Customers can still be seen waiting in their vehicles for long hours before been able to access fuel.

Some filling stations are open, but are not dispensing fuel to customers, claiming they have none left. Most of the marketers and attendants however declined speaking to news men concerning the reason behind the scarcity.

The scarcity is coming in the wake of a planned strike by the Petrol Tanker Drivers Association on Monday. They had protested the reluctance of the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) to talk terms of the renewal of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) for new working conditions for the drivers.

The strike was however averted through an intervention by the NNPC. The Group Managing Director of the Corporation, Mallam Mele Kyari assured them that their demands would be resolved withing the space of a week.

He further advised Nigerians against panic buying, while assuring marketers that the ex-depot price of petrol will not be increased.

Despite this assurance by the NNPC boss, residents in some parts of Abuja are not at rest as the long queues are yet to go away.

The scarcity in Abuja may not be unrelated to an incidence that took place earlier in the year. Oil marketers had protested against a new payment method introduced by the Petroleum Products Marketing Company (PPMC) by disrupting the loading of petroleum products at private depots in Lagos and other parts of the country. They cited instances of independent marketers being prevented from loading petroleum products from depots.

Chairman of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Ore Depot, Shina Amoo, explained that with the new arrangement, major marketers and very few independent marketers with huge funds could pay for 200 trucks and load them while those who had paid for one or two trucks would be on queue for many months unattended to.