Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Nigerian Fuel Prices Skyrocket as Queues Spread
By Daniel Adugbo
Nigeria Daily Trust
Nov 17 2015 4:55AM

Motorists queue for fuel at a filling station close to the NNPC Headquarters on Independence Avenue, Central Business District in Abuja yesterday.

The pump price of petrol has skyrocketed in some major cities across the country, selling above the government stipulated rate of N87 per litre, a survey by Daily Trust showed yesterday.

This is just as fuel queues in Abuja grew worse, crippling commercial activities in the city.

In Port Harcourt, Rivers State, for instance, our correspondent reports that the commodity was selling at N300 per litre at the black market, even as many filling stations remained shut. In Kano, Kaduna, Jos, Imo and other cities, fuel was selling at between N130 and N160 a litre.

However, fuel supply data released by the Pipelines and Product Marketing Company (PPMC), a downstream arm of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), showed that a total of 25million litres of PMS was dispatched from its 11 depots to fuel stations across the nation on Saturday and Sunday.

Figures also made available by the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) Monday said 5.2 million litres with 145 trucks was distributed to Abuja and environs yesterday.

But findings by our reporter indicated, however, that some fuel stations did not dispense the product.
One of the filling stations located in Wuse Zone 5 Abuja had motorists queuing for long hours without dispensing, when our reporter visited.

An official of the station said the last supply the station received was on Saturday.

When contacted on why some independent marketers were either not dispensing or selling above N87 per litre, the president of the Independent Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) Elder CineduOkoronkwo simply said the situation, “is nothing to worry about, government has taken care”.

N300 per litre in PH

From Victor Edozie, Port Harcourt

Fuel was sold at N300 per litre in Port Harcourt and environs yesterday.

Our reporter observed that almost all filling stations in Port Harcourt were shut as owners decided selling at the black market at very  high prices.

A litre of fuel went for N300 per litre where available while at the black market a 10 litre gallon went for N3,500.  From Aba Road to Port Harcourt township, there was no filling station open. Some filling station mangers collected tips from motorists before selling fuel to them.

Motorists spent hours on Kano queues

From Haruna Gimba Yaya, Kano

The fuel situation in Kano was critical yesterday, as most filling stations were locked while  the few that opened hiked prices and sold above N87 per litre.

“I fueled my car this morning at N130 per litre. And the most difficult part is that one has to go to the outskirts of Kano to find the product even at such price,” Bashir Bako, a Kano resident said.

Another resident, Abdullahi Mohammed, said he spent over seven hours on the queue at a filing station to get fuel at the official price.

A manager at one filling station along Zoo Road told this reporter that he dispensed at an unofficial price because he bought it at a higher price.

Only major marketers and NNPC retailstations were selling at the official price.

Queues as stations get fuel in Kaduna

From Maryam Ahmadu-Suka & Dickson S. Adama, Kaduna

Filling stations in Kaduna began selling fuel late yesterday, though long queues persisted.

About 80 per cent of fuel stations in the state capital were selling amidst long queues due to many days of scarcity.

Black marketers took advantage of the scarcity to make brisk business as a 4 litre gallon sold at N600 while a 10 litre gallon went for N1, 600. Residences resorted to public transport with a few personal vehicles plying the roads.

Our correspondents gathered from a source at one of the filling stations that 32 trucks came into Kaduna on Friday evening and discharged to filling stations.

A motorist, Baba Negedu, said fuel was more available in the suburbs and villages than in Kaduna main town.

Transport fare skyrockets in Imo

From Johnkennedy Uzoma, Owerri

Acute fuel scarcity persisted in Owerri, Imo State and environs yesterday, resulting in long queues of vehicles at filling stations.

A litre of petrol was sold at N150, causing a high rise in transport fares.

Apart from the NNPC mega stations that continued to sell at the government approved prices, other fling stations were selling at between N130 and N150 per litre.

Transport fare within and outside the capital city increased as Keke operators collected N70 or N80.00 instead of N50 per drop.

Situation improves in Lagos

From Mohammed Shosanya & Femi Akinola, Lagos

The fuel scarcity in Lagos yesterday eased in many filling stations.

Our correspondents report that there were a few filling stations with queues unlike what obtained at the weekend.

Tankers were discharging fuel in filling stations on Ikorodu Road, Ikeja, Lagos Island and Victoria Island.

But a few stations were still shut because they did not have supply.

Marketers had ceased importation because they were yet to get the subsidy payment the federal government granted them penultimate week.

Meanwhile, the Director, Lagos State Fire Service, Mr. Rasak Fadipe, has warned against storing petrol in homes to avoid fire incidents.

Scarcity bites harder in Jos

From Lami Sadiq, Jos

Petrol was sold by illegal marketers at between N145 and N160 per litre in Jos as many fuel stations in the city were shut yesterday.

Long queues existed at the NNPC mega station around DogonKarfe and the Mobil station at Beach Road as well as Total and FO stations at Yan Doya. By afternoon, Total and FO had stopped dispensing.

Road side marketers were selling a five litre gallon at N800.

Scarcity persists in Bauchi

From Balarabe Alkassim, Bauchi

Fuel scarcity in Bauchi State especially in Bauchi metropolis has persisted for over four weeks.

Findings by Daily Trust revealed that commuters, motorcycle owners and other citizens have been queuing at filling stations spread across the metropolis ‎spending six to seven hours to buy fuel.

Most of the filling stations belonging to independent oil marketers in Bauchi were not selling fuel. Some say they cannot sell at the official price of N87 because they are getting the fuel at a higher price at the private depots.

Chairman of Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Bauchi State chapter, Alhaji Rabiu Baba said the marketers had no choice since they don’t get the products at the regulated price and over 90 percent of their supplies were from private depots not the NNPC.

NLC flays marketers, govt

By Mustapha Suleiman

President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Ayuba Wabba has called on the government to urgently address the problem of scarcity of fuel.

The NLC president also chided petroleum marketers for their refusal to sell fuel to the people.

Wabba said it was only through domestic refining of crude oil that the country would be able to end the perennial fuel scarcity confronting it.

He gave this advice at the opening ceremony of a forum tagged “Rebuilding the Labour Movement for Economic Development and Democracy” organized by the NLC in Kaduna.

Buhari asks N/Assembly to approve N413bn subsidy payment

By Ismail Mudashir

President Muhammadu Buhari has written a letter to the National Assembly, requesting approval to pay the amount of N413 billion due to oil marketers as outstanding subsidy payments

Under the current budget, only about N140 billion was appropriated for the purpose of subsidy payments and it has since run out.

Out of respect for the parliament, the President insisted that the right thing be done by seeking approval from National Assembly before an additional Kobo is paid in excess of what the budget makes provision for. This is a clear departure from the past, when extra-budgetary expenditure had become the norm.

It is hoped that the National Assembly will respond in the same spirit by granting a speedy approval.
Leader of the Senate, Ali Ndume, said he was not aware if President Muhammadu Buhari had written the Senate requesting for the approval of N413bn subsidy payment.

“I’m not aware whether the communication has been received or not. But what I can tell you is that whenever we get it, it will be read on the floor of the Senate”, he said.

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