Fuel scarcity worsens as motorists sleep in filing stations

chika ebuzor

December 27, 2017 5:52 PM

The State Commissioner for Information, Youth and Sports, Mr Lanre Ogunsuyi, ‎described the situation as unfortunate.

Scarcity of petrol has became unbearable in Ekiti as motorists now sleep in filing stations across the state to have the opportunity to buy.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that some of the motorists that NAN correspondent met at the filing station on Wednesday morning were busy washing their faces with water.

One of the motorists, Bolaji Oguntuase, ‎told NAN that he was disappointed with the fuel marketers for hoarding the product and making them to suffer under the sun all day.

He said many of the marketers had fuel, but deliberately decided not to sell to create artificial fuel scarcity.

” I slept inside my car outside the compound of NNPC before I could buy fuel this morning,” he said.

Another motorist, Bidemi Owolabi, said he did not expect the marketers to punish motorists by hoarding fuel.

He called for understanding of the marketers, saying that inadequate fuel in circulation could distabilise all forms of businesses in the state.

‎Owolabi said most of them had to sleep in filing stations, while others bought from black markets to carry on with their daily business.

He said BOVAS and NNPC were the two ‎filing stations that were consistent in selling fuel.

The State Commissioner for Information, Youth and Sports, Mr Lanre Ogunsuyi, ‎described the situation as unfortunate.

He expressed displeasure that Ekiti residents could go through the problem.

Ogunsuyi said the state government had appealed to the fuel marketers not add to the sufferings of the people by inflating the price of fuel and hoarding the commodity as well.

“I am so much disappointed at the attitude of the marketers who are hoarding this fuel, they should have sympathy on the people and sell the fuel to them.

“We have been appealing to the fuel marketers to sell to the people, but we cannot force them with task force because it is only the Federal Government that has the power to punish or close any filing stations that refuses to sell,” he said.

NAN reports that BOVAS and NNPC in Ado-Ekiti are the two filing stations that are currently selling at the price of N143 per litre.

chika ebuzor