Yuletide: Long Queues Return To Filling Stations In PH

Barely a few days to the Christmas, filling stations in Port Harcourt and Obior/Akpor local government areas of Rivers State have begun to witness long queues.
The development, which began last Monday, entered the second day, yesterday, with long queues resurfacing in many filling stations in the two local government areas.
Our correspondents who went round Port Harcourt City and its environs, report that there were queues of vehicles at many filling stations along Port Harcourt-Aba Road, Peter Odili Road, Amadi-Ama, Abuloma, Ikwerre Road, Trans Amadi-Slaughter, Woji and Elelenwo on both Monday and yesterday.
Queues were recorded, yesterday, at filling stations such as Eterna Oil and Mobil at Peter Odili Road, Enyo at Amadi-Ama Roundabout while Linfox at Amadi-Ama and another filling station at Sasun Roundabout did not open to customers.
On Port Harcourt-Aba Road, Oando was seen dispensing fuel to customers who waited patiently on queues for Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) while Eterna Oil did not open for business.
There were also short queues at Conoil Filling Station at Education Bus Stop, and a filling station at Igwuruta Roundabout as at the time of filing this report.
However, The Tide’s check around Rumuosi axis and Obiri Ikwerre-Airport Road revealed that almost all the filling stations were dispensing PMS to customers without queue, except two stations that were closed for business.
Within the Rumuosi area, 95percent of the stations were selling, including the NNPC, Whiz Oil and Mobil as at yesterday morning.
Also, filling stations along the Igwuruta-Airport Road were selling without queue.
Further enquiry on why those few filling stations were not attending to customers revealed that the stations were in short supply of fuel.
A filling station attendant in one of the filling stations, Mr Kennedy Obinna, said those stations that were not dispensing fuel did not have the product.
It was further learnt that a few filling stations have jerked up the pump price per litre to between N170 and N180.
For instance, Conoil at Education Bus Stop, Mile One, was dispensing fuel at N180 per litre.
At Iwofe area, the story is not different as only one filling station, Anele Oil, was dispensing fuel to customers.
Others around the area shut down operations with bold inscriptions: “No fuel”, conspicuously displayed at their entry gates.
The Tide further learnt that even the few stations that have the product sell in the night.
The Station Manager, Heritage Oil and Gas, Iwofe, Mr. Agbasi Hector, attributed the fuel scarcity in the area to challenges in sourcing the product.
According to him, “Our trucks have been at the Petrol Star Depot since Thursday, last week, and up till now, we have not loaded.
“Before now, many depots had and sold but now only Petrol Star Depot loads, and the queue cannot be imagined”.
He urged the Federal Government to empower the private depots to import petroleum products to reduce the pressure on NNPC.
Another filling station, Onava Oil, said they have not had fuel for two months now.
Enyo Filling Station also claimed that they did not have fuel, but a reliable source told The Tide that the station had NNPC product, and only sells in the night.
A customer, Mrs. Nkeruka Amadi, lamented the recent development, saying she had not been able to buy fuel because all the stations around her house were not selling the product to customers.
It was, however, a different ball game at Rukpokwu, an outskirt of Port Harcourt, as the PMS sold at the normal N163 as at yesterday.
The issue of panic buying and long queues was also not recorded in the area.
The Tide learnt that some commuters, fearing that the pump price of PMS might soon go up, rushed to Rukpokwu to buy fuel at N163.
However, a taxi driver, Mr Allwell Amadi, who spoke to The Tide on the development, said there was no scarcity of fuel in the state, explaining that he has been buying fuel freely.
Meanwhile, a business executive, Mr John Igwe, has attributed the resurfacing of queues in many filling stations in Port Harcourt and its environs to a mere sabotage ahead of Christmas season.
According to him, the rumour of likely increase in the pump price of PMS has made some dealers to hoard products so as to make more gain.
The Tide recalls that the Federal Government has consistently given assurances that this year’s Christmas period would be devoid of the usual Yuletide fuel scarcity.

By: Boye Salau, Collins Walter, Lilian Peters & King Onuwhor