Fuel Scarcity: Motorists, Commuters Stranded in Abuja, Other Cities
Commuters in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, and various cities nationwide are expressing dismay over the surge in transportation costs due to the prevailing fuel scarcity.
Reports said that queues at filling stations have intensified across the country, with Abuja being particularly hard hit.
Despite some fortunate motorists managing to secure fuel from select outlets at prices ranging from N700 to N1,200 per litre following lengthy disputes, many others were not as fortunate. Numerous retail stations remained closed, citing supply challenges.
Investigations by DAILY POST unveiled the sprawling queues resembling serpents at several Abuja stations, exacerbating traffic congestion in the nation’s capital and its outskirts. These queues spilled onto major thoroughfares, impeding movement, and leaving thousands stranded at bus stops where transportation fares skyrocketed to double their usual rates.
While many independent oil marketers kept their outlets shuttered, NNPC retail stations reportedly sold petrol at N617 per litre.
Some drivers recounted enduring the endless queues and jostling for up to six hours. The scarcity also prompted black market vendors to sell petrol for as high as N1,200 per litre in parts of the FCT and its environs.
In the midst of this crisis, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has issued a stern warning, threatening mass action if the Federal Government fails to promptly address the fuel scarcity.
Babatunde Akinteye, the association’s Senate President, expressed deep concern on Monday, noting that the scarcity has left many citizens, including students, feeling frustrated and helpless.
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“I would like to correct Nigerians that we, retail outlet owners or marketers as they generally call all of us, are not the reason for this. We do not have any reason not to serve the public and we are willing to serve the public.
“All that is required is for us to have petroleum products delivered to us from NNPC and we will make sure that our retail outlets are open, some of them are even open for 24 hours. The challenge of logistics is only relevant to the NNPC retail outlets,” he said.
According to recent findings by DAILY POST, transportation fares from Masaka, Ado, and Mararaba, all located in Nasarawa state on the outskirts of Abuja, have surged from N500 to N800 as of Monday.
Similarly, fares from Jikwoyi, Karu, and Nyanya have escalated to N800, up from N500 and N600 respectively.
Likewise, the fare from Lugbe to Airport Road, previously N400, has risen to between N500 and N600.
Expressing their frustrations to DAILY POST, some commuters are urgently calling on authorities to intervene. One such commuter, Gabriel Olotu, shared his grievances while waiting under the bridge in Mararaba for nearly two hours, attempting to secure transportation to Wuse/Berger.
“I have been standing here for almost two hours trying to get a taxi to work but I have not been able to get any.
“I hate to resume office late so I wake up and prepare myself for work on time. Unfortunately today, I have been here since 7:30 am. It is almost 10 am already,” he lamented.
Another commuter, who only identified herself as Agnes, remarked that she now pays more for transportation compared to what she used to pay.
She said, ”Already, the money I had with me cannot get me lunch at work, on getting to the road, the transportation fare is now doubled.
”This means the limited money I have will be affected again, which boils down to the fact that what we are going through is unbearable.”
Mrs. Aisha Mohammed expressed her dismay, noting that she would need to walk from the drop-off junction to her home due to the lack of funds for motorbike transportation, which had been diverted to cover expenses for traveling along the main road. She appealed for swift intervention, emphasizing the difficulty it poses for individuals to reach their workplaces.
Meanwhile, driver Sunday Adah, who was among those waiting in the queues, condemned the dire circumstances, attributing blame to the government for its apparent disregard for the hardships faced by Nigerians.
“This government is wicked and always bent on making us suffer. I do not understand if they enjoy seeing us suffer.
“I have been in this queue for more than four hours and I have not been able to get fuel.
“I know how much I would have made already but for the time that I have spent here. I do not know what the problem is again.
“They said fuel subsidy, now they have removed fuel subsidy and made us buy the fuel at outrageous rates, yet we cannot even buy with ease,” he said.
