Despite the Department of State Services (DSS) forty-eight hours ultimatum to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited, Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) and other stakeholders in the oil sector to resolve and end the current fuel crisis, fuel queues have persisted in Plateau, Kaduna, Kogi, Kano states, and other parts of the country.
Recall, the secret service police vowed to go after them if queues did not disappear after 48 hours.
DSS spokesman, Peter Afunanya, had announced the ultimatum in Abuja while addressing reporters after the Director-General of DSS, Yusuf Bichi, met with the stakeholders in the industry.
Reports gathered have indicated that long queues were yet to disappear in major cities, making black marketers have a field day, selling the commodity for as much as N350 per litre.
In earlier report, Economic Confidential had revealed that in Kano State, most filling stations did not dispense petrol and the few stations selling sold it for N310 a litre. While other stations in the state sold a litre for N280 to N290.
In Lokoja, Kogi State, motorists were seen on long queues at fuel stations; while in Kaduna and Jos, major fuel stations were not dispensing enabling black market to thrive.
Although Abuja and Lagos queues are dispersing but persisted in suburbs with prices ranging from N180, N200 to N220 a litre.
The chairman, Northern Independent Petroleum Marketers Forum, Musa Yahaya Maikifi, said the private depot price was above N200, prompting marketers to sell above the rate in Kano and other states.
He said, “Provided we’re not refining the fuel in our country and the NNPC is using dollars to import the fuel, we cannot end the fuel crisis in Nigeria”.
The chairman, Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN), Olumide Adeosun, urged the federal government to dialogue and negotiate with citizens on the implementation of price deregulation.
He said, “Having subsidized Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) or petrol for so long, Nigerian institutions now have a diminished capacity to deal with the current local energy crisis. Disruption in any part of the supply chain causes ripple effects and results in queues at stations”.
Meanwhile, The DSS in a secrete response assured that they have commenced intelligence gathering called “overt and covert operations” to address the situation and will ensure that person(s) caught in discrepancies will pay dearly.
