TheCable

Some independent petroleum marketers in Umuahia, capital of Abia state, are selling petrol between N170 and N200 per litre.

At the black market located at strategic points in the city, the commodity sells for N300 per litre.

A NAN correspondent, who monitored the situation in the area, said few independent marketers selling the commodity at the approved pump price of N87 per litre are attracting long queues of vehicles.

Meanwhile, transport fare in the area has jumped by between 80 per cent to 100 per cent, depending on the distance, forcing many commuters to resort to walking long distances.

At the NNPC mega station located on the Umuahia end of the Enugu-Port Harcourt expressway, scores of motorists and motorcyclists were seen waiting to buy the commodity at the government-controlled price.

Some people described the seeming scarcity as disturbing and a situation not expected under President Muhammadu Buhari.

Augustine Okoronkwo, Steve Ahamefule, and Jenarius Ezeru, who claimed to have spent two days on the queue waiting to buy the commodity to no avail, said the situation had caused untold hardship to motorists.

They called on the president to take urgent steps towards ensuring the availability of the commodity before the Christmas season.

Sampson Ene, retail sells representative at one of the NNPC mega stations in Umuahia, said the station had sufficient stock, but expressed concerns about what he called “the disorderliness by some prospective customers”.