Fuel Scarcity Hits Umuahia, Calabar, Aba

Umuahia, the Abia State

capital and its environs have been hit by fuel scarcity.

An investigation by our correspondent revealed that the scarcity might not be unconnected with apprehension by marketers following the reduction of official pump price of petrol by the Federal Government.

Our correspondent  reports that most petrol stations in Umuahia have remained without the product, with sale attendants idling away since the announcement of the N97 pump price of petrol on January, 16.

While the  Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation  NNPC Mega Station at Mission Hill had yet to start selling the product, a petrol station at the suburb of the city is selling at N180 per litre.

A sales worker at the NNPC Mega Station said: “We are waiting for our engineers to adjust to the new pump price of the product.’’

President Goodluck Jonathan had on January, 16 2012  announced a reduction in the official pump price of fuel from N141 per litre to N97 per litre.

Prior to the announcement, petrol stations in Umuahia and its environs sold the product for between N180 and N200 per litre.

The scarcity had also hit Calabar and its environs.

A check by our correspondent revealed that only the NNPC Mega filling station along Murtala Mohammed Highway was selling the product and at the approved price of N97 per litre.

The situation led to an unprecedented long queue at the NNPC station, stretching more than five kilometres.

A petrol attendant at Oando filling station in the city, who declined being named, told newsmen that they were expecting supplies later in the evening.

The story is the same in Aba, Abia on Tuesday as scarcity of petrol also hit the area.

Our correspondent disclosed that most of the filling stations within the metropolis were not selling the product and the fuel attendants were seen idling away.

Mr Peter Ileka, an attendant at one of the filling stations, told newsmen that he was waiting for instructions on what to do from the owner who had yet to come.

He said that he would not speak further since he was a new employee.

However, there was a long queue of vehicles along the Port Harcourt-Enugu expressway at Osisioma, a suburb of Aba, where it was being sold at between N150  and N190 a litre.

An attendant at the station who did not want to be named said “we are selling old stock.’’

The Chairman of Aba Depot Reactivation Committee, Mr Simple Nwankpa, who is also the Special Assistant to the Chairman of South East Zone Independent Petroleum Marketers Association (IPMAN), told newsmen that they were willing to obey government’s directive on the new pump price.