Zamfara residents lament fuel scarcity
Residents of Zamfara State have lamented that the current fuel scarcity has crippled commercial activities as many business people, who depend on fuel for their legitimate endevours, could not afford the high cost of petroleum products at the black market.
They complained that the constant fuel scarcity in the country has become so embarassing and perplexing, saying that both the federal and state government were unable to control the ugly situation of hoarding.
One Ibrahim Danbaba, a welder, described the situation as artificial fuel scarcity, pointing out that some people were creating the scarcity for selfish interests to become rich overnight.
He lamented that the fuel scarcity was seriously affecting households and commercial activities, making life so hard for the common masses.
Danbaba explained that once there is fuel scarcity, it does not only affect transportation but everything entirely, stressing that most people depend on fuel for their living.
“The fuel dealers hoard the petroleum products in their filling stations only to be selling to black marketers at exorbitant prices, the black marketers in turn sell at doubled prices to the consumers”, he lamented.
According to him, the federal government established fuel regulatory bodies but the rotten system has continued unabated because the bodies engage in sharp practices to acquire illegal wealth at the expense of the poor masses.
“Then how can Nigeria account for the millions of naira being paid to these public officeholders in the name of political appointments?” He queried.
Transporters and commercial motorcyclists also complained that business has been dull due to the fuel scarcity ravaging the state, saying that many people could not afford to pay for their services as their prices have increased.
Investigations by newsmen revealed that some filling stations in Gusau, the state capital, have been locked, claiming that they had fuel to sell.
At Gada Biu area in Gusau, the state capital, where this medium visited, only one out of over ten filling stations was functioning while the other filling stations were like grave yards.
The filing stations that were operating were selling at the rate of between N230-N250 per litre with long queues at the stations.
