Residents in Sokoto State are grappling with the harsh realities of fuel (petrol) scarcity, which has plunged the state into turmoil.
The scarcity, permeating all corners of the state, has inflicted significant hardships on both businesses and daily activities.
Commuters navigating through Sokoto State lament the closure of most filling stations, purportedly due to the absence of fuel stock for dispensation.
Meanwhile, opportunistic black market vendors have seized the opportunity, peddling petrol at exorbitant prices ranging from N2,000 to N2,500 per liter across the metropolis.
Voices from the community are rising in chorus, urging governmental intervention to quell the escalating crisis before it spirals out of control. The populace highlights the adverse impacts already felt on business operations and the general quality of life.
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The soaring black market rates, hitting N2,500 per liter, exacerbate the predicament, grinding commerce and daily life to a halt in the urban center.
In response to the nationwide fuel queues, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) has attributed the resurgence to logistical challenges.
However, reassurance comes with the assertion that these issues have been effectively addressed, offering a glimmer of hope amidst the prevailing chaos.
“The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) wishes to clarify that the tightness in the supply of Premium Motor Spirit currently being experienced in some areas across the country is as a result of logistics issues and that they have been resolved,” the company said in a statement on Thursday evening.
“It also wishes to reiterate that the prices of petroleum products are not changing.”
NNPCL called on Nigerians to “avoid panic buying as there is a sufficiency of products in the country”.
