Fuel Scarcity: Motorists And Commuters In Damaturu Call DPR To Sanction Stations Hoarding Fuel

Motorists and commuters in Damaturu, capital of Yobe State have raised concern over the continuous hoarding of fuel by petrol stations

In separate interviews, today, respondents who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria alleged that some petrol stations deliberately closed their stations in anticipation of a hike in price.

They, therefore, called on the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) to sanction the said Petrol Stations.

Alhaji Usman Kachalla, a motorist, said most of the petrol stations closed for business in spite of the availability of petrol in their stations.

“Even when the government made it clear that it will not remove subsidy and prices will remain the same, they have refused to sell the products hoping for increase in price.

“This is an economic sabotage which must be dealt with accordingly; such stations should be forced to sell their products and sanctioned,” he said.

Bukar Mohammed, another motorist, said the law must take its cause against erring petrol stations working against national interests.

“This is how it starts, first artificial scarcity then prices of goods and services will suddenly jump up most especially now that government has announced the N30,000 new minimum wage,” Bukar said.

Hajiya Hafsatu Sule, a housewife, urged the government to take early measures against inflation following the signing of the new minimum wage bill.

“If hoarding of petrol is allowed to persist, it will set in inflation on prices of other commodities before the implementation of the new minimum wage,” Sule said.

Some commuters traveling to different places told NAN that transport fares have not been increased but the petrol scarcity should not be allowed to continue because it may lead to increase in fares.

NAN gathered that a four-liter gallon of petrol is sold at N800 by roadside vendors against N580 official price at the filling stations.

This is as Naija News reports Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) declared at the weekend that it has no plan to increase the current petrol (fuel) pump price of N145 per litre.