Motorists Want End To Fuel Scarcity

Some motorists in

Abuja have called on the Federal Government to find an immediate and permanent solution to the lingering fuel scarcity in the country.

Our correspondent reports that the scarcity of the product, which has resulted in long queues in some parts of the country, started on April 28.

The motorists, who spoke to newsmen, expressed dismay at the development and called on the government and relevant authorities to find a solution to the scarcity.

Noah Kasai, a taxi driver, said he was at a loss as to the cause of the scarcity and called on government to ensure availability of the product.

“Government should please help the masses because this problem is causing a lot of hardship to us,’’ he said.

Kasai, who spoke to newsmen while on queue at a filling station, said he had been waiting for hours.

He said there was little prospect of getting fuel because the attendants were not using all the pumps.

Segun Adesanya, a businessman, urged the government and the NNPC to find a permanent solution to the problem, saying that the scarcity could impact negatively on the economy.

However, an attendant at the Total Filling Station opposite the NNPC, who pleaded anonymity, attributed the long queues to panic buying “due to rumours of an impending increase in the price of the product.’’

Meanwhile, the NNPC has debunked rumours of an impending increase in the price of fuel and called on motorists to desist from panic buying.

The corporation said there was abundance of the product and called on tanker owners to release their trucks for loading of products at the various depots.

It could be recalled that there was scarcity of fuel in March when the National Union of Road Transport Owners embarked on strike in its demand for an increase in freight charges.