Long queues reportedly emerged in some key northern states on Tuesday following scarcity of premium motor spirit (petrol).
Amid the scarcity, a number of stations with commercial stocks took advantage of the situation to increased their prices, ranging between N230 and N260 per litre, depending on the location since some independent marketers, did not have the product to sell to motorists and other consumers.
In the same vein, Residents of Zaira, Kaduna State decried how that they were forced to buy petrol for N260 per litre to avoid long queues at filling stations selling at the official pumping price.
According to a resident of Zaria identified as Abdelghaffar Amoka, “A tanker is offloading fuel at Matrix station, Palladan, Zaria and as at 8.40am, the car queue waiting for the fuel was 1km long. Go and join the Buhari Carnival to buy at official price or drive to Ubaidullah station to buy at N260 per litre.”
Similarly, another resident, Abubakar Yahaya said, “I have just bought at (ONLY GOD KNOWS, IF IT’S ACTUALLY SOLD TO ME AT) #260 @ Ubaidullah or whatever!”
Also, AbdRazaq Oshogbade disclosed that the most filling stations in Jos, Plateau State were selling at N230 per litre three days ago.
“We were victims of this three days ago, we actually shun to buy a 230 per liter at Jos thinking that when we get to Zaria we will get it at 179 per liter, it was a rude shock to meet it at N260 per liter in Zaria, so unfortunate,” he said.
Recall that petrol scarcity hit different parts of Nigeria last Tuesday, forcing motorists to spend hours at filling stations in Lagos and Abuja, while battling to get the product.
Black marketers had a field day, selling a litre of fuel at N300-N400 in many parts of the country.
In Abuja and Lagos especially, many motorists were forced to patronise them as the unpalatable alternative was to wait for hours in filling stations.
As the scarcity lingers on, in Lagos, some filling stations sold a litre of the Premium Motor Spirit at N200/litre as against the approved price of N180-N185/litre.