Motorist stranded, roads deserted as petrol sells for N220per litre in Ondo

MAJOR roads in Ondo state remained deserted
following the perennial shortage of petrol in the
last one week.

Motorists were stranded as almost all filling
stations across the state did not open for
business.
Reports also says that major markers diverted
their consignments to independent marketers
who sold for N220 per litre in the state.
The scarcity continued to bite harder as the
major roads became deserted with few vehicles
plying them.
Vehicle owners parked them at home in in their
offices following their inability to buy the
product at the exorbitant price.
Despite selling at N220 per litre, the queues in
the few stations across the state were endless.
Motorists sleep over night at the NNPC Mega
station which is the only. Station selling the
product at the government approved pump
price.
Vanguard gathered that the scarcity followed the
directive from the Department of Petroleum
Resources (DPR) to all dealers in the state to sell
at the new price of N86:50k per liter.
It was gathered that the marketers, especially
the independent marketers, resolved to shut
down operation in protest against the new price
which the DPR was forcing on them.
A manager of one of the filling stations said they
decided to close down because of the new
directive from the federal government
compelling them to sell at N86: 50k while they
are buying at N140 without cost of transportation
to their stations.
He said " my boss has directed that the station
should be closed because of the new directive by
the federal government .
Speaking on the development, the Chairman of
the Independent Petroleum Marketers
Association of Nigeria, (IPMAN) Ore depot, Mr
Bayo Olowokere explained that most of the
stations did not open for operation because they
had no product to sell at the federal
government's regulated price of N86.50 per litre
.
"Again they are loading partially in all the
depots, Ore, Mosinmi, Ibadan and Ejigbo. Most
of these depot might not load for days and we
are not having enough supply and this ha seen
causing scarcity because the demand is higher
than supply"
He said most of the independent marketers
were also buying from private depots across the
country as a result of the insufficient supply of
the product from the NNPC Depots.