Passengers Stranded As Petrol Sells For N200 In Ibadan, Iseyin, Others

Amid the continued fuel scarcity being witnessed nationwide, residents of Ibadan, the capital city of Oyo State and other cities in the state are lamenting at the increased cost of transportation which they attribute to the hike in the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) popularly called petrol in fuelings stations across the state.

Information gathered around Ibadan showed that many fueling stations remained shut and only a few outlets, such as Bova's, SAO and the NNPC dispensed petrol to motorists at the approved price of N162/litre amidst very long queues.

Further findings showed that fuel was being sold at some outlets in Ibadan between N250 to N350 per litre.

In Saki, many outlets sell above N220 per litre as motorists still besieged the few fueling stations that dispensed fuel.

In Oyo town, Iseyin and Ogbomoso, the story is the same as motorists buy fuel for as high as N400 per litre while Bovas Petroleum remains the only outlet that sells at the normal price of N162 per litre.

As a result of the fuel scarcity, transportation fares have increased by more than 100 percent for both inter and intra-city transport.

Passengers were also stranded as many commercial drivers could not work due to fuel scarcity and many were in the queue for hours to get fuel.

In Ibadan, commercial vehicles charged between N100 and N150 for short-distance trips, instead of the N50 that was previously charged while bikes charge between N150 and N200.

Inter-city fares from Ibadan to Ife and Osogbo rose to between N1,000 to N1,200, instead of N600 and N800 as was previously charged.

Meanwhile, many motorists now opt for black marketers who sell as high as N600 per litre. These black marketers were seen along the Sabo-Jemebewon area in Ibadan displaying fuels in 5-litre kegs for sale.

At various NNPC outlets, SAO Petroleum and Bova's Petroleum where the product sold for N162/litre, the queues of vehicles and motorbikes were endless.

From Asejire to Iyana Ajia, Iwo-Road, Dugbe, Total garden, Oluyole, Oleyo, Agbowo, Odo-one, Monatan, Oke-ado, mile-long queues were seen as motorists wait hours to buy fuel at the normal price of N162 per litre.