A Day At A Filling Station

One may not really appreciate the importance of fuel when one drives to a filling station and refuel within a considerable period of time, let’s say five minutes. But my experience since morning while looking for fuel has been a sad one. Now that I have finally seen a filling station that opens to customers, just look at the long queue,” says Engineer Austin Tamuno, a Port Harcourt-based surveyor.

Engineer Tamuno who was billed to travel to Owerri last week Tuesday with his car had been in a desperate search for fuel since 8:am.

A week earlier, Tamuno had fueled his car with adulterated fuel he bought along Amadi-Ama-Abuloma road, in Port Harcourt.

“I would have bought the fuel from these road-side retailers even at a higher price, but the experience I had last week has taught me a lesson. My car engine developed problem because of an adulterated fuel I bought along Amadi-Abuloma road. Since then, I have vowed not to take such a risk again. So, I would not mind how long it takes me to get fuel from a filling station,” he said.

Engineer Tamuno’s experience paints a vivid picture of the hardship many people have been passing through for some weeks now across the country in a bid to buy fuel for both private and commercial use.

The scarcity of the petroleum product across major cities in the country in the past few weeks, and the attendant waiting game in the few filling stations that open to customers are too unpalatable to gloss over. Last week Wednesday particularly brought to fore the sad memory of such a waiting game at  a filling station in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

The day had started with the usual morning reflex, especially the early morning showers which provided an inkling of a sunny day. From a distance, there was a riot of vehicle horns outplaying one another, and the rancorous voices of bus conductors touting for loads at various bus stops, indicative of a booming transport business in Port Harcourt.

Few hours later, the number of vehicles began to deplete. Where have the vehicles gone? It is not a strange question. The question has been asked over and over again. And the answer has been the same since the past few weeks. For the third week running, the story was being rehearsed. Long queues at the filling stations, a sea of heads waiting in turn to fuel their vehicles and generating sets, hundreds of gallons and jerry cans lining up the streets, and the merchants of black market racketeering attending to impatient commercial drivers at a hundred per cent up the notch across  major roads!

It was a scene to behold at the Oando Filling Station along Aba Road last Wednesday. Traffic stretched bumper to bumper for almost half a mile, while a hundred of voices were contesting with the riot of traffic horns in wild choruses. Many drivers banged on their vehicle bonnets in anger, while the impatient  ones left the long queue to patronise black market retailers that laid seize adjacent to the filling station. The two attendants at the filling station had a busy time attending to customers. More often, they appeared frustrated, especially when their plea to make the surging crowd draw away from the fuel pumps that were gradually running dry were met with angry reactions.

“Please do quick and sell wetin you wan sell.”  “Manager, tell your guys to stop wasting our time, or how long are we going to stay here?” “I blame you. No be government wein increase fuel money give you mouth to talk?” All manners of comments rendered the air foul in high decibel.

As the day ticked by, more and more vehicles queued up. It all appeared it was the only filling station that opened to customers that day in Port Harcourt.

At about 2.45pm, the manager of the filling station who identified himself simply as Mr David announced to the motley crowd that the fuel tank had run empty. He, nonetheless, assured that supplies were being expected soon. Again, another waiting game began.

At intervals, the crowd would respond to every stimulus that sounded like the horns of a petrol tanker. Occasionally, they would relieve themselves of the tension with banters and dry jokes. But more often, the pleasantries dissolved into an exchange of hot words while trying to re-queue at the sighting of every fuel tanker that passed by.

“I was here before you.”  “You met me on the queue.” “Why are you pushing me?” “Get away, is this place your papa’s house?” They often rattled in raucous voices. Yet, the offensive odour that oozed out from the crowd, arising from profuse sweat, and the occasional release of  carbon dioxide, were killing.

In the midst of this drama, a scene was created by a middle aged man suspected to be a merchant of black market. Having stood for some hours with his two 50 litres jerry cans enduring the scorching weather, the man left the queue to seek a shelter near the filling station. Suddenly, he was overtaken by nature; and within a twinkle of an eye, he began to hum embarrassing snore that made everybody around ravished with laughter.

At about 4pm, the surging crowd began to lose hope. Their patience was running out. Many people were contemplating leaving the station when a petrol tanker suddenly drove into the filling station. Hardly had the tanker started off-loading when the atmosphere that had been relishing in conviviality suddenly went frenzy and wild. Confusion took the centre stage and everything human and traffic was in disorder.

The petrol attendants who had been holidaying for about two hours resumed work. One after the other, the already weary customers were heaving a great sight of relief as they fuelled their vehicles, generating sets  and jerry cans. It was at this point yours faithfully took his turn to fuel his car.

Mr. David attributed the shortage of fuel to problem of supply at the loading depot.

“Many people think we have fuel and that we are just hoarding it. That is not true. How can we have fuel and refuse to sell to our customers? The truth is that there is a problem of supply at the depot. We do not have regular supply,” he said.

Investigations have shown that the on-going probe into the corruption-ridden oil sector by the National Assembly is responsible for the current fuel scarcity in some parts of the country.

Major stakeholders in the fuel distribution chain, including the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulatory Agency (PPPRA), Pipeline and Products Marketing Company (PPMC) and Major Oil Marketing Association of Nigeria (MOMAN) claimed that the probe has created uncertainties and loss of confidence by the financial institutions, and thereby reduce the number of those  involved in importation of fuel.

Some importers, according to The Tide’s investigation, were said to have stopped importation because some banks and financial institutions were afraid that the on-going probe might affect them. But the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has described such claims by fuel importers as ridiculous.

In a statement signed by its Acting Secretary, Owei Lakemfa, NLC said the fuel scarcity in some parts of the country was to blackmail Nigerians into accepting higher fuel prices and pressurise the National Assembly to discontinue the probe into the alleged fraud in the oil industry.

“The contrived scarcity is unholy alliance between major oil marketers and various government agencies.

“Banks cannot be scared to work with honest businesses as the marketers are claiming, and the country cannot be blackmailed to allow fraudsters continue to dominate the oil sector,” NLC said.

Chairman, Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream), Senator Magnus Abe shared similar view during an interactive session with major stakeholders in the oil sector, recently. According to him, there was no rational explanation why there should not be sufficient quantity of fuel in the country.

Although his committee was able to obtain assurances from the oil stakeholders, especially from the Managing Director of PPMC, Mr. Morrison Anthony Fiddi that adequate arrangements were being made to supply fuel to affected parts of the country, there appears to be no end in sight to the perennial fuel shortage and long queues in cities like Port Harcourt, Asaba, Abuja and Ilorin.

Meanwhile, the Rivers State chapter of the NLC has set up a 10-man petroleum monitoring committee to look into the scarcity in Port Harcourt, and as well punish filling stations that sell above the official price of N95. But how effective this would be remains a question only time will tell.

Boye Salau