TheCable

Black marketers in Kaduna state are having a field day as a result of the hike in the price of petrol.

Many filling stations in the ancient city have been closed, forcing motorists to patronise those selling the product between N300 and N350 per litre.

Long queues of vehicles were seen at different black market spots on the outskirts of the city.

Fuel scarcity has also led to an increase in the price of transport fares, with passengers paying between N1,700 and N2000 to Abuja, a journey that cost N1,500 before scarcity.

Residents have been lamenting over the current hardship, with many calling on the government to find a solution.

But Anthony Amitaye, national president of the Association of Mega Filling Station Owners of Nigeria (AMFSON), said unless his members are “adequately engaged” in the distribution system of petroleum products, the current crisis would continue.

He said the sudden scarcity was as a result of a breakdown in the distribution chain where AMFSON members were allegedly boycotted by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) retail to service other markets and outlets.

“The fastest way out of this present predicament is for NNPC Retail to revert to what they have always used to work the magic in times like this,” he said.

“That is using my members across the country (NNPC affiliate stations) because we are strategically located nationwide.

“Concentrating supply on the NNPC Mega stations cannot make any serious impact on consumers at this time of scarcity.”

He called on Ibe Kachikwu, minister of state for petroleum resources to instruct NNPC to supply more products to the NNPC retail to service affiliate stations.