Today’s experience of fuel scarcity is becoming quite disgusting and frustrating because almost all the filling stations in Port Harcourt and Obio/ Akpo Local Government Areas refused to sell the product though they have it. Many private vehicles were taken unawares as they did not see fuel to buy. The rest of Nigerians are waiting at filling stations to make sure they buy fuel. Our reporters observed that from Iwofe through Ada George to Mille One, only Coin Oil at Education Bus Stop that is selling fuel.
The Petroleum Products Retailer Outlet Owners Association of Nigeria in Rivers State is assuring the citizens of it’s commitment to work around the clock to ensure that petrol is distributed across the state. This is coming as queues are building up in some filling station and black market surfacing in major roads. The state chairman of petroleum Francis Dimkpa told our reporters that despite the two day warning strike by the National Association of Road Transport Owners, filling station in Rivers State will continue to dispense available products to motorists. He assured motorists that filling stations that have already load out products are dispensing them to the people and will continue to dispense them.
Despite the queues at most filling stations, the petroleum chairman in Rivers State Francis Dimkpa advised motorists to avoid panic buying. He said they have encouraged all members of Petroleum Products Retailers Outlet Owners Association of Nigeria to dispense products to motorists that comes to their station if they have the product. Stating that they do not encourage any act of dispensing to high volume carriers of bootters otherwise known as (jericans) or black marketers.
Mr Frank Dimkpa further explained that the queues seen all over the stations have product and that is why people cue up there to get these product. He revealed that in filling stations, gas is selling at about N1500 per kg while PMS is selling between N700 to N750 per liter. He however encouraged all motorists to be of good behaviour, and that people should buy what they need, and not buy and store as they are expecting the strike to be called off as soon as NATO and Federal Government has finished their engagement.
