Abuja hit by petrol scarcity, black marketers

Long queues were noticeable in most filling stations in the federal capital territory on Monday, just as petrol black marketers returned to business in the city.

The queues and black marketers surfaced on the same day the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association (PENGASSAN) embarked on an industrial action.

The unions are protesting the failure of the government to carry out Turn Around Maintenance (TAM) of the nation’s refineries and cut down the prices of petroleum products in line with the fall of global oil price.

The scarcity of petrol caused by the strike is biting in the capital city, as motorists groan in confusion.

Suleiman Okpanachi, one of those waiting in a queue to get fuel at one of the filling stations in Abuja, complained that he had been waiting for three hours, yet he was still unable to get the product.

“This is not fair. We are the ones bearing the pain of this strike. The government does not feel it,” he said.

Emmanuel Francis, another waiting motorist, shared Okpana‎chi’s sentiments.

“The strike, coming at this time when it is nearly Christmas, is not right.

“Look at the queue everywhere. It will take weeks before the problem is resolved. How do we celebrate Christmas in this condition?”

Sanni Bature, a black market petrol peddler, told TheCable that a litre of petrol on the black market went for N250.

“It is not our fault that there is scarcity of petrol. So we have to do business and survive”, he said.

The government is yet to make an official response to the striking unions, so it is uncertain how long the scarcity will last.