By Harry Awurumibe, Editor, Abuja Bureau
The economic hardship of the Nigerian masses does not look like getting better soon as pump price of petrol in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has now hit N1,500 per litre at most filling stations, especially at privately owned petroleum products sale outlets.
Prompt News investigations have revealed that despite the high cost of petroleum products across Abuja, most of the petrol stations are now selling the Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) otherwise called petrol from N1,300 to N1,500 per liter.
For example, most of the filling stations visited in Abuja including in the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Bwari, Gwagwalada, Kuje, Kwali, and Abaji Council Areas are selling petrol between N1,300 to N1,500 per liter as at the time of filing this report.
All the filling stations along the busy Airport Road in FCT are dispensing their products at the cost of N1,300 and above while the filling stations located in the suburbs are selling at a higher prices.
Also, some of the filling stations visited this morning in the Kabusa, Dakwo, Lokogoma and Apo Mechanic Village in the Apo District of AMAC are selling petrol N1,300 and N1,500 per liter.
For example, a visit to some filling stations at Tiper garage in Kabusa road in AMAC, FCT, on Wednesday morning showed that a certain Monny Energy and NIPPCO filling stations are dispensing petrol at N1,300 per liter while they displayed N1, 200 per liter on their notice boards to attract buyers.
A manager of one of the filling stations who pleaded anonymity disclosed that they are dispensing petrol at N1,300 to N1,500 per litre because they bought the product at a higher price.
According to him, the fuel situation is getting tougher because petroleum products marketers are not getting supplies, just as they are also forced to sell the products based on the price they bought it from the marketers.
Meanwhile, despite the arbitrary hike in pump price of petrol and petroleum products by the filling station owners
and its twin sister of underdispensing the products to their unsuspecting customers at various fuel stations in the rural and urban areas across the country, the federal government’s agency in charge of the regulation of oil and gas,
Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority
(NMDPRA) has turned blind eyes to the exploitation of the public by operators in the oil and gas business.
Some Nigerians argue that NMDPRA (formerly DPR) should curb the uncontrollable hike in pump price and under-dispensing, selling above the regulated pump price, or hoarding fuel.
They reminded NMDPRA to be proactive and seal specific non-compliant filling stations to avoid their continued exploitation of the unsuspecting customers saying that total shutdown or closur of the erring stations are required.
Alhaji Sani Mohammed Gombe, who resides in Garki area of FCT, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to interven in the skyrocketed price of petrol, pointing out that most Nigerians are further been thrown into abject poverty.
According to him, many households can no longer make ends meet and are groaning under harsh economic conditions as many can not afford transport fares to go about their daily businesses.
Mr. Mathew Adegunde, a taxi driver in FCT insists that most filling stations are exploiting the current situation in the country to exploit the public, pointing out that he has decided to stop work because he will not make any gain by buying petrol at N1,300 or N1,500 per liter.
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