By Ahmad Umar
Gombe (Nigeria) – Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) Gombe State, northeast of the country has attributed the fuel scarcity in the state to shortfall in supplies and sharp practices by some consumers.
Long queues have resurfaced at various filling stations in Gombe metropolis after few weeks.
Amos Bernard, Head of Operations of DPR Amos Bernard disclosed the circumstances to Journalists during the rerouting surveillance.
He said that Gombe state needed supply of about 4 million litres of fuel on weekly bases and 300,000 per day to meet the demand.
Bernard said last week, the state received over 2.5 million litres which made a slight difference in the hardship by motorists.
He disclosed that since the fuel scarcity began in December, Gombe has been experiencing a shortfall in supplies.
“Supplies fluctuate since December, with most time fuel supplies to Gombe not up to the sufficiency level,” Amos said.
Amos equally blamed the incessant fuel scarcity as a result of panic buying by consumers.
“People are following media reports and as soon as they hear there’s fuel scarcity in Abuja or Lagos, they rush to buy in panic even when they have no use for the fuel,” he said.
The DPR official said that sharp practices by some consumers also has the tendency to prolong the fuel scarcity.
“Commercial motorcyclists are now stocking fuel as their business. Even some taxis no longer ply the roads but stick to buying fuel in filling stations only to sell it back to black marketers,” Amos said.
On what the DPR is doing to tackle the issue of racketeering at the filling stations, Amos lamented that there’s no law that allows DPR to sanction those who come to buy fuel at filling stations in order to sell it back.
“No law to arrest such offenders except those with fabricated tanks. Mostly, we arrest and delay such offenders as deterrent,” he explained.
Amos said the DPR in Gombe is up and doing but that the enormity of the situation calls for concerted effort by all and sundry to address the lingering fuel scarcity.
He said with improvement in supplies into the state, the long queues in filling stations would disappear.
Amos disclosed that officials from the department would sustain constant surveillance on the activities of oil marketers with a view to ensuring they keep to regulations.
A commercial motorcyclist, Abubakar Umaru, seen at the Matrix Filling station located in Tunfure area of the city, told AFRICA PRIME NEWS that the fuel scarcity is only peculiar to Gombe metropolis.
“If you go to the outskirts, there is no fuel scarcity. Something is wrong and I want to believe this is the handiwork of some selfish individuals,” he said.
https://www.africaprimenews.com/2018/01/02/special/fuel-scarcity-bites-harder-in-northern-nigerian-city-of-kaduna/
