Fuel Scarcity: Petrol sell for as high as N350 per litre, all filling stations close shop, transport fare double for Port Harcourt

Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers NUPENG, Independent Petroleum Marketers Association IPMAN, Petroleum Tanker Drivers and Licensed Petroleum Filling Stations Owners for Rivers State don call off di strike action wey shut down filling stations and cause fuel scarcity for two days.

Rivers State Commissioner for Energy and Natural Resources confam to BBC Pidgin say di unions call off di strike after di stakeholders meeting wey hold and dem sign communique on di way forward on top di arrest of tanker drivers for di State.

Fuel scarcity bin hit di oil city of Port Harcourt as filling stations shut down and no sell at all.

Tori be say Rivers State taskforce on road decongestion and military pipo arrest and impound some tanker drivers and dia trucks.

Wit di intervention of di State Commissioner for Energy and Natural Resources, GOC 6 division Nigerian Army agree to release di 16 trucks.

Na wen dem go to collect di trucks, dem see say Army don hand over some of di trucks to Nigeria corruption police - Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

EFCC dey suspect say dem carry illegal petroleum products.

Na dis one make di tanker drivers unions vex call di strike and order all filling stations not to sell petroleum products at all.

Di strike make black market boom and sell fuel for as high as N350 per litre and transport fares sef double as place wey dey pay N50 increase to N100 per drop.

Michael Agba wey be Keke Napep driver complain to BBC Pidgin say di strike dey affect dia business bad bad as many of dem carry di keke on hire purchase so if dem buy 4 litres of fuel N1500 for black market, dem no go fit meet up even if dem double di transport fare so make Goment see how dem for resolve di matter make dem call off di strike.

National Treasurer for NUPENG, Alex Agwanwor tell BBC Pidgin say wetin dem want na for di taskforce and security pipo to stop to dey arrest and harass tanker drivers wen dem arrest dem, dem dey charge dem fine of N150,000 or dem go jail.

Also dem demand for di release of all di tankers wey dey arrested and for Goment to call dem make dem sidon resolve all di issues.

For di communique, Dem agree to form standing committee wey go involve NUPENG, IPMAN, DPR, EFCC , Rivers State Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, Rivers State Taskforce and oda relevant security agencies wey di Commissioner go head.

Dis committee go be di first to attend to every case we relate to oil and gas for di State and Dem go dey meet to look as things dey go.

Dem also agree say di Committee go immediately begin to process to release di certified trucks and dia products as Dem agree from EFCC and Dem agree to call of di strike.

Dr. Medee add say dem go monitor filling stations to make sure say as dem open, dem go sell fuel for di normal price of N145.

Port Harcourt na oil rich city, wey tanda for di Niger Delta region of Nigeria wia crude oil wey dem dey take produce petroleum products dey boku as natural resources.

Dis no be di first time wey scarcity of petrol dey shelle for di city. Di last petrol scarcity happun for April 2019.

Kwanta between authorities and petroleum workers unions na im dey mostly cause artificial fuel scarcity for di city.

Most times wen dis kain tin happun, di petrol stations wey close down dey get fuel but refuse to sell untill dem don get order from dis powerful petroleum workers union to begin sell.

Dis particular case wey happun now na only for Port Harcourt pipo dey experience am, as e no affect oda parts of Nigeria.