Fuel Scarcity Bites Harder In Osun

 

• PMS Sells For N400, N300, N250 Per Litre
• Consumers Lament, Sleep At Filling Station

Kazeem Badmus

MOTORISTS and residents of the State of Osun are finding it more difficult to get Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), popularly called petrol to power their vehicles, machines and power generating sets.

The scarcity of PMS is biting harder on the people of the state as many of them sleep overnight at filling stations to get fuel. 

This is just as some filling stations in the state have increased the pump price from N162/N165 to N400, N300, N250, and N200 per litre.

It would be recalled that queues returned to petrol stations in the country about a month ago due to the importation of adulterated fuel, leading to the shortage of PMS.

Some filling stations in Osogbo have been without fuel as the available fuel at various depots are being rationed. Most of the filling stations in  Iree, Ikirun, Iwo, Ede and Ila were shut.

OSUN DEFENDER noted that there has been irregular selling of fuel in many parts of the state by few filling stations that were able to get fuel at the depots. 

It was also noted that the scarcity of fuel has led to increase in pump price in many filling stations across the state with the commodity selling between the price of N200 – N400 per litre at some private filling stations. 

The medium observed that all the independent marketers in the state were selling at the normal price of N162/N165 per litre and this has led to heavy queues at the stations.

Some residents of Osogbo, Ilesa and Ile-Ife, do sleep overnight inside their vehicles at filling stations to be able to buy fuel at early hour of the day. The affected residents are majorly commercial transporters.

Other people who need fuel have also been enduring the scorchy sun to get fuel at the filling stations. 

The independent marketers selling at the normal pump price in spite of the scarcity are Bovas, Matrix, A.A Rano, NIPCO, Mobil, Total and Enyo. 

Bovas filling stations in Osogbo and other part of the state are always full to the beam whenever PMS is available as motorists and petrol users struggle to buy fuel at the rate of N162 per litre.

The situation has been causing gridlock around Olosan area, Gbongan/Ibadan road as motorists occupied a half of the road to queue for fuel. 

Also, Matrix filling station, Osogbo, usually witness a large number of people wanting to buy the commodity as the station is also selling at the normal price of N165 per litre.

Some of the consumers who spoke with OSUN DEFENDER on yesterday said they passed the night in their vehicles parked at the station to get fuel. 

They appreciated the owners of both Bovas and Matrix for being faithful and considerate on the pump price in spite of the scarcity, just as they recommended them for national awards. 

The consumers also appealed to the Federal Government to find a lasting solution to the fuel scarcity in order to ease the suffering of the masses. 

However, some filling stations in Osun were selling between the price of N200 and N400 per litre, a development described as extortionate by the consumers who called for the closure of the affected petrol stations.

A popular filling station in Osogbo, Adolak, was selling fuel at N250 per litre, while Cisse, a filling station at Rinsayo Area, ring road, Osogbo, was selling at N220 as of yesterday. 

OSUN DEFENDER learnt that a filling station in Ikirun, Okanlawon, has also reportedly increased it pump price to N280 per litre. 

Also, some filling stations in Iragbiji, Aagba, Ororuwo and Ikirun on Wednesday sold fuel at N240 per litre.

Few filling stations who have fuel in Ede yesterday were selling the commodity at N250 per litre. 

In Ile-Ife, OSUN DEFENDER gathered that PMS was being sold between N280 and N300 per litre in most of the filling stations.

The medium gathered that some petrol stations in Ilesa have also increased their pump price to N400, the highest so far in the state.

A facebook user, Olanipekun Busuyi Lawrence said he bought a liter of PMS at 400 on Sunday at Alesh filling station, Ilesa.

Speaking with OSUN DEFENDER on the increment in petrol pump price by the stations, a motorist, Mr. Abass Oladapo, said filling stations selling above the normal price should be sealed off.

According to Oladapo, it is barbaric and inhumane for the petrol stations to be selling beyond the normal price, adding that most of them selling at a high rate are the ones who do not enjoy patronage on a normal day. 

He said: “It is an act of wickedness for someone to be selling above the normal price and if you look at those doing that, they are the filling stations that does not enjoy patronage during the normal period.

“The economic situation of the country is biting harder on people already and this callous human beings still add to it. 

“I want to urge the task force in charge to rise up to their duties and seal off those filling stations”.