By Michael Eboh
Fuel scarcity yesterday, hit Abuja with long queues at petrol filling stations as motorists try to purchase Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, also called petrol.

Most of the petrol stations in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, visited by Vanguard were shut down, while a few that were selling were besieged by motorists . Black marketers also had a field day as they were seen on the roads selling the commodity at exorbitant prices to motorists who could not afford to wait at the petrol stations .However, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, blamed the development on panic buying and hoarding.

The NNPC, in a statement, yesterday, by Mr. Ohi Alegbe, Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, called on members of the public not to engage in panic purchase and hoarding of petroleum products stating that it is working with all downstream industry stakeholders to eliminate the noticeable artificially induced fuel queues in some fuel stations. According to Alegbe, the NNPC has increased its fuel supply to petroleum marketers and will within the next 48 hours inject about 688 million litres of petrol into the market to address any shortfall arising from the panic buying.

He said, “The NNPC has already increased substantially, the volume of petroleum products distributed to marketers.

“The NNPC is injecting additional volume of 600,103.047 metric tonnes of premium motor spirit, the equivalent of 688 million litres of petrol into the market within the next 48 hours, to arrest any short fall that may have been triggered by the unnecessary fears of an imminent scarcity of product.”

The queues which surfaced Thursday night, worsened Friday, as motorists trying to purchase the product had to spend long hours at petrol stations before they were attended to.

Specifically, along the Airport Road , Conoil petrol station was shut to motorists, as one of it attendants who chose not to be named disclosed that they have ran out of the product.

Also along the Airport Road, NNPC mega station and MRS were seen dispensing fuel but with long queues of motorists to attend to.