Fuel scarcity takes toll on Lokoja residents

People living in Lokoja, Kogi on Friday cried out to the Federal Government to solve the acute shortage of petrol in the state. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) quotes residents of Lokoja as saying that the acute fuel scarcity had marred the Christmas festivities. Mr Sunday Owolabi, a resident of Kabawa in Lokoja, expressed regrets that for the past two weeks there had been queues at fuel stations in Lokoja.
 ``Even with the queue, the prices were just too high," Owolabi said.


 Mr Abah Ufedo, a driver, described the situation as sad, stating that in some fuel stations the operators sold fuel at N120 per litre. A sales attendant at Oando Filling Station, Miss Ene Aboyia, said the station had been selling fuel at N120 per litre since Dec. 1. She said that the management told her to sell at that rate because the commodity was bought at a high price at the depot. At Total Filling Station, Mr Michael Eleojo, the manager, said if the station did not sell at N120 it would lose a lot of money, due to the price it bought the commodity at the depot. At the NNPC Mega Station, there was a long queue of more than 100 vehicles because the station was selling at the official price. Mr Shola Adeyemi, a driver, said some of them slept at the NNPC station because it was the only station that was selling at N97 per litre. Alhaji Abdullahi Saliu, a taxi driver, said he also sleep over at the station and had yet to be served as at the time of filing this report. Officials of the station, however, refused to speak with NAN. Many people said they were disappointed with the situation of things as it did not allow the festive period to go well. Oil-producing Nigeria has been plagued by a recurring fuel scarcity crisis for many years. (NAN).