Long queues are beginning to return at fuel stations in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), following the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) announcement to cease tanker operations due to unsustainable high costs.
In a move to address the financial strain on its members, the association formally notified the Federal Government and the Major Energy Marketers Association of Nigeria of its decision to suspend operations.
As a result of this development, many fuel stations have shut down operations as few independent marketers who remained operational had longer queues.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) retail outlets that managed to stay open offered the product at the usual N617 per litre, attracting long queues of motorists desperate to secure fuel amid uncertainty.
Adding to the chaos, black marketers, as usual, seized the opportunity to exploit the situation, selling 10 litres of petrol for as much as N850 per liter as against between N640 and N680, but in plastic containers.
Yusuf Othman, NARTO President, confirmed the commencement of the enforcement of the suspension of operations, emphasizing that it would escalate to a complete halt in the haulage of the product.
