Makurdi users worry over fuel scarcity, blame recent importation of bad fuel …others blame fuel stations, accuse sellers of hiking prices.
By Prosper Okoye –
It is Feb. 14th, and the roads in Makurdi, the Benue state capital, do not have the usual boisterous traffick it is used to, on Monday mornings.
The Naka road, Modern market bus stand, is unusually overcrowded, and large number of people are seen trekking to their destinations after a long wait for commercial buses, “which are not forthcoming,” according to Mr. Ayo.
Ayo is among those trekking. He says he had tried to use a commercial motorcycle from his house, close to Modern market, but was unable: “I pay N100 for Okada from my house to my shop at Wurukum every morning, but this morning, Okada is scarce. The ones I saw said the price is N300. They said they increased the price, because they could not buy fuel.”
At Rain oil, Bolek Nig. and other petrol filling stations in Makurdi, fuel is not being sold. While those that are selling are making use of a few point-of-sale pumps.
“This is the only tank that we have fuel [in].” Forte Oil petrol station manger, said, when asked why only one, of the four selling points were used to attend to the long queue of customers waiting to buy fuel.
“Department of Petroleum Resources team, and our local task force have been here to check our fuel supply; we are not hoarding product,” he remarked.
“We have restricted people buying with jerrycans so that vehicles users and motorcyclists can be attended to,” the manager continued.
While at the station to buy fuel with a motorcycle, Engr. Andrew, complained of the unfair treatment of those buying with motorcycles.
“I am came from North Bank area where the price is high for me. I have been here for more than one hour, they are just bypassing the bike people waiting on the line, to sell for the people with vehicles,” Andrew says.
Forte station’s manager says they are expecting petrol supply, but do not know if the trucks have left the depot yet. He mentions how they are being careful not to buy adulterated fuel.
Ernest Bako, a vehicle customer that is on Forte Oil Fuel’s queue, two cars away to be attended to, says he has been on the queue for 20 minutes. “I went to NNPC filling station, along Otukpo road, they weren’t selling.”
He offers that the reason for the fuel scarcity is the result of the restriction of supply due to the adulterated fuel that was discovered.
“It is very disappointing and sad to know that the professionals we have in this sector could import adulterated fuel, despite the years they have been on the job. This is proof that the system we have has collapsed,” he says.
The manger of Jenny Filling station, Blessing, told the reporter that there was no faster way to attend to the long queue of customers struggling to purchase fuel at the station, stating that all the sales points that are in good conditions, were being used at the time:
Isuue Vegher, who is among those trying to buy on a vehicle queue, says “I think they are planning to increase the fuel pump prices, that is why some of the filling stations refused to sell.”
However, Jacobson Ogilegwu, also from a vehicle queue at Jenny Investment filling station, Naka Road, thinks differently.
“The price of fuel is still the same, but the queues are very long. I think it is because of the festive season,” he says.
The information officer of the Department Of Petroleum Resources could not be contacted for an official statement on the development. A security at the department’s gate revealed the he is on leave.
In a recent development, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) stated that its investigation has revealed the presence of Methanol in four petrol cargoes imported by MRS, Emadeb/Hyde/AY Maikifi/Brittania-U Consortium, Oando and Duke Oil.
Group Managing Director of NNPC, Mallam Mele Kyari, who disclosed this during a media briefing, however, said he has since ordered the holding back of all the affected products in transit (both truck & marine).
The NNPC has asked oil trading firms to embark on emergency supply of petrol to replace cargoes that were rejected because of their poor quality.
Disturbed by the development, the federal government has ordered investigation into the bad fuel that had damaged the engines of some vehicles.
In addition to disrupting the country’s fuel supply chain, the product which led to the damage of several cars, the NNPC disclosed, was imported from Antwerp in Belgium.
Speaking in Abuja, Kyari, argued that petrol brought into Nigeria usually does not include the test for the level of methanol content.
The NNPC helmsman maintained that cargoes’ quality certificates issued at the loading port in Belgium, by AmSpec Belgium, indicated that the product complied with Nigerian specification.
