Mrs James held on tightly to sets of empty kegs measuring over 170 litres each, as she struggles to have them filled at a price almost 95% of the government allowed retail price of fuel in Nigeria at a local petrol station in Festac an outskirt of Lagos.
The scene was charged as everyone is neck deep in getting the product having been without it for the past one week. The price was never an inhibition to getting the product as both government agents bowed to the superior price or the desperation to have the product in their kitty. No one could question the rationale behind the sudden jump in price as they are more concerned with getting the product, the price notwithstanding.
This has been the scenario for the past three weeks the fuel shortage has lasted in Lagos, Nigeria. Different stroke for different people and your guess is as good as mine. Who will save the people from the onslaught of faceless marketers who are out to take blood from fuel consumers in Nigeria?
The government appears helpless in this face of lawlessness beclouding the oil market industry in Nigeria. Every body has a good reason why they should jack up price recklessly outside government regulations. The people are helpless as they bleed excessively under this regime of reckless oil marketing in the country.
Recently, the Lagos state Chapter of Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) absolved its members of blame over the current hike in fuel prices in the country.
Rather, it laid the blame on private petroleum distributors who sell their fuel at landing cost of N105 or N110 per litre, making it difficult for the IPMAN marketers to sell at controlled price of N87 per liter. These revelations were made by Chief Adebayo Ajayi, Chairman IPMAN Lagos State.
He further said that the trend has persisted because the NNPC depot where the IPMAN members registered had no product to supply presently. He was of the opinion that if the government wants to end fuel scarcity, it should build refineries in every state of the federation as well as deregulate completely.
