There is an artificial scarcity of premium motor spirit, popularly called fuel, in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital.
DAILY POST gathered that most of the filling stations within Lokoja metropolis were not open for sale.
Those spotted selling in the early hours of Wednesday hurriedly closed their stations upon receiving information that some independent marketers in Lokoja were not selling their products to customers.
This development has led to long queues in some of the filling stations that were open to sell for customers.
DAILY POST findings in Lokoja revealed that some independent marketers are now selling petrol within the range of N700 to N730 per litre, which is above the official pump price.
Black marketers, however, have also capitalized on the scarcity of fuel, as they are selling within N1000 to N1200 per litre.
Speaking to a motorist identified as Musa Umar, who wanted to purchase fuel at one of the filling stations, he lamented that the scarcity is biting harder on the people.
According to him, “I just came back from the eastern part of the country and things are normal there. But when I came back to Lokoja yesterday, I discovered that many filling stations were not dispensing fuel.
“What could be the reasons for this scarcity? The cost of living is very high. Transportation has hit the roof. People are suffering. The president should do something quickly before things get out of hand. We heard that the price of fuel will soon go down, which is why these marketers are hoarding it.
“I don’t know how true this is anyway. The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) should check the activities of petroleum marketers in Kogi State as they are afflicting pains on citizens of the state.”
Efforts to reach the Kogi State Coordinator of NMDPRA, Engr Ogbe Orits Godwin, on this development proved abortive as at the time of filing this report.
