The long queues of vehicles reported at filling stations in Ife and Modakeke towns in Osun due to scarcity of petroleum products have ??reduced drastically on Friday
A correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), who visited some of stations in the towns, reported that many had fuel with short queues.
NAN reports that a station located within the campus of Obafemi Awolowo University?was seen selling fuel without any queue.
The station, however, was selling the product?at N120 per litre, instead of the N97.00?official price.
The?Mayfair junction filling station was also seen taking delivery of 33,000 litres of petrol.
There were few vehicles at petrol stations within the Lagere quarters in Ife, but the price was between N120 and N130 per litre.
A manager at one of the stations, Mr Saidi Dada, said the price might remain like that for long as the product was now costlier due to scarcity.
?‘’You have to spend extra money before you can get it fast enough to meet the demand of your teeming customers,
“Our customers should understand that we are not just exploiting them,’’ he said.
A manager at a filling station in Modakeke, who pleaded anonymity, said:’’ we are here as employees, we do not really know what the situation is like at the depot”.
‘’The marketers are complaining about additional charges at the depot before they can get the products because of the shortage.
‘’Although we heard that there was delivery of petroleum products at Lagos ports on Tuesday, we have not seen the effect in terms of availability,’’ he said.
Many customers, who also spoke with NAN, blamed the fuel marketers for causing the scarcity, while others?blamed the NNPC for not arresting the situation before now.
Mr Babajide Okediji, a commercial motor cyclist at Mayfair junction said: “the marketers are not helping the matter as some of them have the products and still sell at high rate”.
‘’We are hoping that the situation will get better soon and the price will come back to normal.
“The price is too high and people do not want to pay additional charges,’’ he said.
A commercial motor driver, Alhaji Tiamiyu Ajose, said?NNPC should have arrested the scarcity early and put?the situation under control. (NAN)