The persistent fuel crisis in Abuja, yesterday, attained a worrisome dimension, as scarcity of the commodity heightened across the Federal Capital Territory, with motorists spending several hours on long queues at the petrol stations.
The scarcity is gradually becoming a way of life in Abuja and respite seems not to be in sight as the authorities seems unconcerned about the sufferings of the people due to the absence of the commodity.
However, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, blamed the scarcity on panic buying due to the elections, stating that it had been supplying petroleum products across the country over the last couple of days.
According to Mr. Ohi Alegbe, Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division of the NNPC, who spoke to Vanguard in Abuja, the panic buying is a result of the governorship elections scheduled to hold this weekend.
He said: “It is the same old story, the same issue of panic buying. If you noticed, immediately after the presidential elections, the queue disappeared. Now because we are going for the governorship elections they have gone into the practice again, because people want to travel, they want to have enough fuel to take them to their villages to go and vote for their governors and so on. That is majorly the problem.
He also queried the role played by petroleum marketers in the supply of fuel to the FCT in the last couple of days, saying the NNPC and its subsidiary, the PPMC have been solely responsible for the supply of the products in the last couple of days.
He said, “People think that it is only NNPC or PPMC that is responsible for this. This is not so. There are also independent marketers; they also should be asked questions of what is happening.
However, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, blamed the scarcity on panic buying due to the elections, stating that it had been supplying petroleum products across the country over the last couple of days.
According to Mr. Ohi Alegbe, Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division of the NNPC, who spoke to Vanguard in Abuja, the panic buying is a result of the governorship elections scheduled to hold this weekend.
He said: “It is the same old story, the same issue of panic buying. If you noticed, immediately after the presidential elections, the queue disappeared. Now because we are going for the governorship elections they have gone into the practice again, because people want to travel, they want to have enough fuel to take them to their villages to go and vote for their governors and so on. That is majorly the problem.
He also queried the role played by petroleum marketers in the supply of fuel to the FCT in the last couple of days, saying the NNPC and its subsidiary, the PPMC have been solely responsible for the supply of the products in the last couple of days.
He said, “People think that it is only NNPC or PPMC that is responsible for this. This is not so. There are also independent marketers; they also should be asked questions of what is happening.
