Petrol queue hits Abuja, states despite suspension of subsidy removal

Despite the announcement by the Federal Government to retain subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, also known as petrol, Abuja the Federal Capital Territory, and other states in the country have recorded a massive queue at different filling stations.

Caracal Reports gathered that residents in Nassarawa and Niger States have started experiencing difficulties to buy petrol with long queues in many filling stations.

But oil marketers said the situation in Abuja and affected states was due to panic buying by the residents who believed that government would stop subsidising the fuel soon.

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Our correspondent who went around on surveillance observed that some feeling stations were not in operation as of Tuesday while few ones selling petrol were with the massive queue.

Meanwhile, citizens who usually engage in black marketing of petrol had resumed in affected states and Abuja.

It was observed that Nipco and NNPC filling stations on the Kubwa-Zuba expressway in Abuja had long queues of motorists on Tuesday.

The same situation played out in the Abuja city centre, in parts of Nyanya in Nasarawa, as well as in Zuba, Niger State.

Reacting to this, the President, Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria, Billy Gillis-Harry, said the queue was not from scarcity of petrol, adding that panic buying must have caused it.

 His words: “The queues are basically due to panic buying and people don’t need to be. We as Nigerians should try and only respond to what is accurate.”