…..long queues as pump price hits N850, N1,200 in Akure.
It was an expression of anger and lamentations by residents of most parts of Ondo State as the scarcity of the Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), otherwise known as petrol is biting harder and getting out of hands across the country, particularly in Ondo State and neighbouring States.
This is coming at a time when Nigerians are optimistic that with the commencement of operations at the Dangote refinery and Port-Port Harcourt refinery, petroleum products prices will drop
SUNSHINETRUTH News learnt that the sudden and artificial scarcity of fuel is already taking its painful toll on commuters and transporters alike in Ikare-Akoko, Owo, Ondo town, More and Akure, the State capital, among other towns.
In Akure, commuters and stranded residents are groaning as cost of transportation has gone up by fifty percent, lamenting poor economic policy of President Bola Tinubu that despite fuel subsidy removal and buying fuel at high rate, people are still subjected to suffering.
On Sunday, majority of the petrol stations within the state capital did not dispense the product, while long queues were noticed at few stations that dispensed the product.
Reports from major cities across the state confirmed the scarcity of the product in the last few days, forcing consumers to buy at exorbitant price.
The scarcity has led to long queues at the few stations that dispensed the product, forcing consumers to buy at exorbitant price.
Investigation revealed that the price of the product ranges from N720 at the major marketers stations, and N850 at the independent marketers.
In Ore, the headquarters of Odigbo Local Government area of Ondo state, our correspondent who visited some filling stations within the metropolis gathered that petrol price ranges between N750 to N800 per litre, with long queues.
A motorcyclist identified as Ola Balogun said “honestly, I am short of words about this issue of fuel scarcity, I have been on this long queue for hours and upon that, I still can’t get the fuel.
“I don’t know why filing stations are hoarding fuel, as it is now in Ore, most filling stations prefer to sell fuel at dawn because of reasons best known to them
“I just hope this issue of fuel scarcity won’t last longer or else things will get worse, as it will affect we the motorcyclists, entrepreneurs and the likes.”
According to a commercial driver in Akure, Gbenga Ojo said most filling stations were locked under the guise that there is no fuel, while black marketers are selling a litre of petrol between N800 and N1,200 to motorists who cannot wait in long queues.
“Rumours heard it that the price of fuel will soon go down as from May 2024 when Dangote refinery start refining premium motor spirit (fuel), I don’t know why this marketers are hoarding the product at this hour.
In Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State capital, some marketers who opened for business were selling the product at the rate of N800, while some sold at the exorbitant price of N1,000 still with queues.
Some motorists who spoke on the development lamented over the high price of the commodity, while some said the hike in the price of the product has further led to an increase in the price of other commodities in the state capital.
Some travellers, Babalola Emmanuel and Sunday Abi, who spoke with our correspondent lamented the increase in the price of transportation.
In Osogbo, the Osun State capital, due to the scarcity of fuel, the state government Taskforce on Petroleum Price Monitoring warned owners of petrol stations across the state against hoarding of the product to create artificial scarcity. The Hope.
