Motorists in Kano State have bemoaned the lingering petroleum scarcity and the flagrant price hike of the commodity by marketers.
A cross section of the beleaguered motorists lamented the nefarious activities of the shylock marketers had resulted in long, snaky queues at filling stations.
It observed that only few petroleum marketers were selling the product at the pump price of N165 per litre in Kano city.
The investigation further revealed that such filling stations attracted high patronage, leading to resurfacing of long queues, where motorists spent several hours to refill their vehicles.
Some filling stations, particularly at the environs, had the product in stock, but closed in the day time and opened in the night to sell at exorbitant prices.
The survey further revealed that majority of filling stations in the city had ran out of stock, hence, they remained closed.
The situation left some motorists with no option other than to buy from the black market, because they could not afford to wait in the long queues.
A four-litre gallon of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS-petrol) at the black market was selling for N1,200 and above.
The survey further indicates that some filling stations at the outskirts of Kano metropolis were selling the product at at a minimum of N220 per litre and above.
Reports from other local governments showed that the situation filling stations were also selling the product at between N235 and N245,.
Some of the motorists interviewed lamented the ugly situation and urged the government to take urgent measures that would address the problems.
Aminu Kabiru, a driver, said that he encountered difficulties daily before getting fuel for his vehicle for the past four weeks.
He said that was why they increased transport fares to sustain the operations.
Tasiu Musa, another motorist, said that development would only aggravate the hardships of the people.
Musa added,”this could also lead to inflation because of the vital role that the transportation sector plays in the development of the economy.”
He urged the government to come to the aid of Nigerians by addressing the problems in good time.
However, all efforts to talk to the Chairman, Kano State Chapter of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Alhaji Bashir Danmallam, on the issue were abortive.
He neither answered several phone calls, nor responded to SMS text message sent to him.
