Fuel queues resurface in Abuja

Fuel queues have resurfaced in many filling stations in the nation’s capital.

Our reporters, who drove round the city yesterday evening, report that many motorists had to queue for long hours before they could buy petrol at NNPC filing stations and those owned by the independent marketers with some of them not even dispensing.

Some motorists have to pay those at the entrance between N1,000 and N1,509 before they gain entrance into some of the stations.

The latest queue is coming after the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPCL)’s Retail Management announced a new price regime with the NNPC outlets selling for between N855 and N897 per litre and independent marketers’ outlets adjusted to between N930 and N1200.

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Many Nigerians, including the organised labour leaders, have condemned the new price, raising fear of its impacts on the nation’s economy.

Shortly before the increase, many filling stations had shut their operations, forcing motorists to queue for hours at the few available one selling.

A motorist, Imoh Ibrahim, said he queued for about two hours before he could buy fuel at NNPC filling station at Airport Junction at N897 per litre.

He wondered why motorists still have to queue for fuel despite the recent increase in the pump price.

Mrs Joyce Oyetunji pleaded with the present administration to consider the plight of the citizens at this crucial time, where many could no longer feed their families.

She said, “The genesis of this crisis started from the increase in the price of petrol by the present administration. Things started going up in the market because of the high cost of transportation.”

According to another motorist, Darlington Iwuji, “This is the most difficult time for me, some of us are on higher purchase. I collected this car on higher purchase when things are relatively manageable. Now that things have gone up, how I manage to remit money to the owner of this car is by God grace.

“All I want from this government is to reduce the pump price and ensure proper regulation so that it will favour the poor people.”

On his part, John Ogbeche, a dispatch rider, said he was hoping that with the emergence of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the price of fuel and other items would get better, not knowing that the situation would get worse.