Fuel Scarcity Cripples Activities In Rivers …Filling Stations Close Shop …Black Marketers Sell

Business and social activities in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital and its environs have been crippled as a result of the fuel scarcity ravaging the nation.

Both major and independent marketers of Petroleum Products in the city have closed shop for days running, leaving helpless motorists and residents at the mercy of black marketers.

Our correspondent, who has been monitoring the development since Friday, reports that black marketers who have taken advantage of the acute shortage, now sell between N250 to N300 per litre of Petrol against the official pump price of N87 per litre.

Most vehicle owners, especially the commercial buses and taxis were off the roads yesterday as a result of the situation while the few ones operating have increased transport fare by more than 100 per cent.

This has also affected the cost of goods and services as traders have slightly increased charges in response to the increasing transport cost.

Charity Eze, a resident, who was struggling to buy fuel at a black market spot in Ikwerre Road said, “the situation has increased the problem of poor power supply in the city.

“There is no fuel to buy for my generator, and Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHED) would also not give one light. Life has become unbearable for us”, Eze said.

A taxi driver, Ebi Clement, told The Tide, yesterday, that he bought a litre of Petrol at the cost of N150 along Nkpor, an outskirt of Port Harcourt.

“I got information last night that the station was selling, and I got there at about 6.45am, and luckily bought fuel. But the attendant told me the stock may finish in few hours time”, he stated.

The Tide gathered that in other states as Lagos Ogun, Kebbi, Delta and Sokoto, a litre goes for between N300 and N400 while in Cross River, Akwa Ibom, and Kogi and Kwara, a litre goes for between N200 and N250.

The scarcity is as a result of the strike declared by Petroleum Marketers over their disagreement with the Federal Government on the N200 Billion Subsidy debt owed marketers by the federal Government.

There appears to be no solution in sight as the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said last Friday that Federal Government would not bulge to the demand of the striking marketers.

The Minister said marketers had promised to commence importation of fuel when recently they were paid N154 billion out of the N354 billion owed them but regretted that the marketers reneged on their promise, insisting now that until the N200 billion balance was paid, they would not import products.

The House of Representatives and senate, it would be recalled, recently directed its committees on Petroleum Resources (Downstream and Upstream) to investigate both the remote and immediate causes of the scarcity and to report back tomorrow.

Consequent upon this, the Committees summoned the Finance Minister, Petroleum Resources Minister and the Group Managing Director of Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and leadership of the Marketers, but the two Ministers were alleged to be evading the notice services.

Sources alleged that staff of the ministries refused collecting the summon notices on behalf of the ministers, saying the Ministers were not in office.