BY DINMA BIGWA
Nigerians are grappling with severe fuel scarcity, which has significantly affected transportation costs amid the nationwide hunger protests, The Pointer has gathered.
The situation has escalated to the point where many residents of Asaba, the Delta State Capital, are expressing their frustration over the skyrocketing transport fares attributed to the fuel shortage.
Reports indicate that the price of fuel at NNPC filling stations has surged to approximately N591 per litre, even though the product is unavailable.
However, several other stations are charging exorbitant rates, with prices reaching between N870 and N880.85 per litre. This disparity is partly due to the limited number of operational pumps, leading to long queues and further exacerbating the inconvenience for motorists.
Along the popular Nnebisi Road, our correspondents observed that several filling stations have been forced to shut down. Observers report that these stations are not staffed by fuel attendants, and there appears to be no immediate prospect of resupply.
In an interview, a Keke rider in the capital city, who chose to remain anonymous, attributed the fuel scarcity to recent protests that have led to the shutdown of oil depots.
The Pointer gathered that the product in the NNPC Mega Station, Agbor has remained scarce for over a month, leaving many of the independent marketers to sell for about N900. Although, there are no queues.
Meanwhile, reports claim that a popular filling station in Agbor, headquarters of Ika South Local Government Area, Dumen Filling Station (by Orikeze Junction) has been closed by federal authorities for hiking their price.
In Port Harcourt, it was gathered that the product sells for about N800 in most of the filling stations.
