Motorists in some parts of the South West, including Oyo State, Osun and Ogun are going about their businesses unhindered with the availability of petrol and normal operations at filling stations, contrary to acute shortage of the product in many parts of the country.
A survey showed that the pump price remained stable as many filling stations in Ibadan still sell the product between N141 and N145 per litre.
In the metropolis, there were no long queues, panic buying nor artificial scarcity as motorists still got the commodity and moved round conducting their various businesses.
Mr. Kabir Adeoye, an Estate Valuer, said that there was no fuel scarcity in the metropolis, adding that he just purchased fuel at N142 in one of the filling stations without queue.
A cross section of motorists said the normalcy might be connected to the rehabilitation and re-inauguration of the NNPC depot in Ibadan to a functional state.
In Lagos State, normalcy returned to some filling stations as motorists were seen buying petrol with ease.
From Ajah to Lekki axis, the filling stations visited include Mobil in Oluniyi Olumide in Lekki Sandfill, Forte Oil and Petrolcam in Lekki, Oando and World Oil stations in Jakande.
They were dispensing petrol at the official price of N145 per litre.
Mr Tayo Adeleke, the station manager of Petrocam filling station, Lekki, said it had opening stock of 60,000 litres and another 60,000 litres of petrol had just been added.
Adeleke said queue had disappeared in Lekki because of constant supply from depot.
There was no queue in most of the stations visited in Apapa, which housed most of the private tank farms in Lagos.
Some petroleum attendants were waving to motorists to buy from their station.
Situation remained the same at Mushin as motorists were buying the commodity with ease.
Mr. Kazeem Iyiola, a commercial driver, said motorists were surprised on Tuesday when most of the filling stations were out of stock.
Similar situations were observed across Osun, particularly in Osogbo, where the product sold without queues.
Filling stations stations across the capital were selling PMS with ease.
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Stations visited include NNPC at Ring Road, City View Oil and Gas at Oroki Estate, NIPCO at Lameco Roundabout and Mobil at Oke-fia.
The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Abeokuta Field Office, Ogun, however allayed the fear of motorists and residents that the normalcy enjoyed in the state might be infiltrated by scarcity from other states.
The Operations Controller, Mrs Muinat Bello-Zagi, said staff had begun monitoring and surveillance operation on filling stations in and around the state.
A check reveals that most filling stations were selling fuel with no queue in sight.
However, some motorists expressed concern over alleged report stating that there would be increase in the price of fuel.
But in Ondo State, the queues have started surfacing in spite of assurances by the NNPC of enough fuel in storage.
Many filling stations in Akure were not dispensing fuel while few selling were doing so above the official pump price.
Mr Adewole Emmanuel, Acting Operations Manager, Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Ondo State, said there was a severe penalty for any station caught hoarding the commodity.
He said the scarcity and long queues were noticed on Monday, and the DPR enforcement team was immediately mobilised to address the situation.
Emmanuel alleged that some dealers were deliberately hoarding fuel to create artificial scarcity.
He, however, warned that strict sanctions would be applied on any erring marketer caught flouting the laid down rules.
“I wish to make it clear that we will apply sanctions to any station caught hoarding fuel,” he warned.
It is also the same situation in Ilorin, where scarcity of the product is biting hard in the metropolis and other towns in Kwara.
It was observed on Friday that many filling stations were closed, while only few were selling the product to desperate motorists and others.
Motorists, who spoke to NAN around Tanke area of Ilorin, lamented that the scarcity had caused panic buying of the product.
Most of the stations in Tanke such as FABB, NNPPC, SANRAB and Bekind were closed; only Junuwad station was operating with the attendant long queue.
A taxi driver, Mallam Ibrahim Oseni, said he had been on the queue for over two hours and was yet to purchase the product.
(NAN)
