Motorists and residents of Ado-Ekiti have expressed worry over the biting effect of the lingering scarcity of premium motor spirit, otherwise called petrol, on the state economy.
A cross-section of the people told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in the capital city of Ado Ekiti Tuesday complaining that the scarcity had begun to have negative effect on their businesses.
They said that the situation had started biting hard on them and their means of livelihood.
Long vehicular queues, particularly at the NNPC mega service stations, which were seen dispensing the product were observed by NAN Coresspondent.
Due to the scarcity, many filling stations in the city did not open for business.
Consequently, some commuter drivers and motorcyclists have hiked transport fares within the metropolis and its environs.
A resident of the city, Sunday Ochai, described the situation as frustrating, adding that it had affected business activities in the state.
Another resident, Prof. Gabriel Awe, blamed the scarcity on the government and independent petroleum marketers.
Awe described the situation as “a show of shame, which appears not to have an end in sight”.
He criticised the Federal Government for failing to fix the nation’s refineries so as to boost the local production of petrol.
Another resident, Lanre Daramola, accused some marketers of hoarding the product, hence, encouraging black marketers to extort the populace.
Also, Mr Saheed Dada, described the scarcity as a hopeless situation for the masses.
Dada blamed the state task force on petroleum products for its inability to arrest the situation.
He called on security agencies to arrest and prosecute the owners of fuel stations found to be hoarding the product in order to serve as deterrent to others.
“Many of these fuel stations have the product. Are fuel tankers not entering Ekiti on a daily basis?
“People created the artificial scarcity in order to make more profit.
“Nobody is telling us anything. There is no official statement from any quarters in the state concerning the problem we are experiencing presently,” Dada said.
She underscored the need for government and relevant stakeholders to address the fuel scarcity in the interest of the citizenry.
A motorist, Ibironke Aluko, expressed sadness over the ugly situation, saying that she had spent almost the whole day at the fuel station without any luck.
NAN respondents appealed to the FG to hastily find a lasting solution to the lingering problem.