There was gridlock in major parts of Benue and Abia states on Thursday due to the scarcity of Motor Spirit, popularly referred to as petrol. One of our correspondents, who went round the major fuel filing stations in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, discovered that only the Mega Station, along Aliede Road, was selling at the normal N97 pump price. It was observed that even at the Mega Station, black marketers were given preference against motorists. Consequently, it was not surprising that the black marketers were selling at the rate of N170 and N180 per litre almost immediately at the station or near the station. Other fuel stations however were selling at the rate of N120 and N130 per litre respectively while others were not even selling at all. A motorist, who identified himself as Bem, lamented that he had been on the queue for hours and was not even given access to enter the station let alone attended to. The situation, according to The PUNCH investigation, is the same in the major towns of Gboko, Katsina-Ala and Oturkpo local government areas. According to Toryima, a commuter, the allegation was that government, in connivance with major marketers, were benefiting from the system by allowing middle men and black marketers to hijack fuel in the state. The Commissioner for Petroleum and Solid Minerals, Abia State, Chief Don Ubani, has appealed to residents of the state to exercise patience as efforts were being intensified to resolve the cause of the current fuel scarcity which has been taking a toll on the people. Ubani, in a text message to one of our correspondents in Umuahia, said, “The cause of the fuel scarcity was the strike by the Petroleum Tanker Drivers in the Eastern Zone, comprising Port- Harcourt, Aba and Calabar.” Copyright PUNCH. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH. Contact: editor@punchng posted on October 10, 2014 at 12:43AM Send an email to Joseph T. Obagbemisoye 08140584469 or 08086797418 Like JTNNG on facebook facebook/jtnng91 View Joseph T. Obagbemisoyes profile on facebook facebook/jtob91 Follow @jtob91 and get followed also jtnng.blogspot/
Posted on: Fri, 10 Oct 2014 00:07:59 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015