Abuja women, store owners thrive on sale of petrol

More women are joining the business of selling Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) popularly called petrol across Nigerian streets and neighbourhoods, the Daily Trust reports.

Our reporters observed the growing sales points in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and the nearby Nasarawa State operated by women who have seen the oil business as lucrative.

Although most ‘black market’ petrol dealers have been out of business since the product became available, some women are still bent on selling the product along with lubricants as a means of earning a living.

In Kuje town in the FCT, Justina Musa sells petrol and engine oil at the Pasali road. In a chat, she said she started this year at the height of the product scarcity, when she made so much money, taking huge risk.

She said: “When the product became available everywhere, I didn’t know what business to fall back to so I just continued to sell fuel and engine oil and supplemented it with selling of recharge cards.”

The mother of three confirmed the proceeds she makes from the business helps her sustain her home and support her husband. “Those that patronize me are commercial motorcycle riders. Other customers are those that use power generators; we sell to them in litres and in containers which are not allowed at the filling stations,” Justina explained.

Still in Kuje, Motunrayo Niyi has a point at Chibiri along Gwagwalada- Kuje road. She likes the spot because there is no filling station in sight. Motorist who run out of fuel along the road are trapped with only her providing a relief.  “I do sell up to 20 litres daily at times to motorists and those with generators,” she said.

In Mararaba town of Nasarawa State some distance from the Abuja-Keffi highway, Madam Apeh Ojone operates a whole store to sell the product. She said the populated neighbourhood has epileptic supply with many businesses that depend on generators, and she supplies petrol, kerosene, diesel and lubricants to them.

Ojone said she engages the services of willing taxi drivers to convey her products from filling stations where she buys in bulk petrol at N140 to N145 and then resells at over N180 per litre.