A number of fuel stations in Owerri, capital of Imo state have suspended operations since Monday, in protest of a government enforcement drive, thereby leading to an acute scarcity of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) popularly known as petrol, in the city.

It was gathered that many of the fuel stations took the decision not to sell to willing customers after being visited by enforcement teams from the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), an arm of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) working to ensure compliance by fuel marketers with the new N86.50 pump price.

The prevailing pump price before the enforcement drive by the DPR in collaboration with the Imo state government, was between N120 and N150. Many of the fuel stations continued to sell at above the new government regulated price almost two weeks after it was announced.

The resulting fuel scarcity caused many commercial vehicle owners to park their cabs at home, a situation that left many commuters stranded on Monday evening.

A drive round Owerri between the hours of 11am and 12noon on Tuesday revealed that the situation remained the same with many of the filling stations closed for business.

Residents of the city say they are now being forced, following the refusal of the fuel stations to dispense fuel, to buy petrol from unconventional sellers known as black market sellers, with a litre going for as high as N400.

A source has however confirmed that Task force officials are presently at some fuel stations on Port-Harcourt road in Owerri to force them to sell the fuel they are reportedly hoarding.

The photos above are some of the closed filling stations and deserted roads in Owerri due to the scarcity of fuel in the city.

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Why can't this government order buses for public transportation to be able to regulate transportation prices and make life easy for us all.

Its normal that some one man business station would react badly, why nt go to normal dealers mrs,agip etc nnpc,oando,total,forte etc.
Fuel is 86 everywhere in nigeria

slimfit1:
Why can't this government order buses for public transportation to be able to regulate transportation prices and make life easy for us all.

Unrealistic solution you've proposed.

Even Jonathan tried it and Nigerians didn't feel the impact.

How many buses do you think will adequately cater for the whole of Nigeria? Which roads will the buses ply on sef? Who will maintain the buses?

The only solution is to provide massive infrastructure for other means of transportation e.g ferries, railways e.t.c

They're just suffering the masses for nothing Pmb should deploy task force to all the filling stations around the SE let them investigate there tanks any one found keeping fuel instead of selling should face the consequences.

Mckennedy:
They're just suffering the masses for nothing Pmb should deploy task force to all the filling stations around the SE let them investigate there tanks any one found keeping fuel instead of selling should face the consequences.

Exactly

Mckennedy:
They're just suffering the masses for nothing Pmb should deploy task force to all the filling stations around the SE let them investigate there tanks any one found keeping fuel instead of selling should face the consequences.

If fuel subsidies have been removed, then it is not the business of any goddamned government how these people choose to sell their PMS. Government money no dey am, so why the hell should government still dictate to them on how to sell their own products?
Free market prices are determined by competitive forces as well as demand and supply, not some primitive socialists regulating from the center.
If the price of PMS sold at a gas station is unfavorable, leave it to the CUSTOMERS to decide by going to a station that sells less. Low patronage alone would make them adjust immediately. Simple and short.

This whole "Subsidy is gone but you must sell at so and so price" nonsense is nothing but an ill-conceived policy sommersault by a primitive mind with zero economic sense or even the most rudimentary comprehension of demand-and-supply dynamics.

Greed and Igbo man; two inseparable entities.
The other parts of the country agreed but Igbo man will not part with his fifty kobo

Kenai:


If fuel subsidies have been removed, then it is not the business of any goddamned government how these people choose to sell their PMS. Government money no dey am, so why the hell should government still dictate to them on how to sell their own products?
Free market prices are determined by competitive forces as well as demand and supply, not some primitive socialists regulating from the center.
If the price of PMS sold at a gas station is unfavorable, leave it to the CUSTOMERS to decide by going to a station that sells less. Low patronage alone would make them adjust immediately. Simple and short.

This whole "Subsidy is gone but you must sell at so and so price" nonsense is nothing but an ill-conceived policy sommersault by a primitive mind with zero economic sense or even the most rudimentary comprehension of demand-and-supply dynamics.

Now the question is; from which depot do Marketers in IMo buy their PMS? Is it not the same depot where lagos marketers get theirs? They should stop fooling themselves.

I blame Gej for it....#winks

Mckennedy:


Now the question is; from which depot do Marketers in IMo buy their PMS? Is it not the same depot where lagos marketers get theirs? They should stop fooling themselves.

Dem go soon blame Buhari now
East oooh

Why is there no compliance with the government price of N86.50 in the SE?

Are DPR staff not working in the SE?