Fuel scarcity cripples socio-economic activities in Kano

Petrol scarcity has crippled socio-economic activities in Kano and its environs, with residents wasting many man-hours looking for fuel.

Supreme News reports that the situation has forced motorists to abandon their routine schedules to search for gasoline at filling stations.

The development is also telling about the city’s socio-economic life, as many of the residents have closed their business premises, while others have suspended their planned visits to friends and relatives.

Supreme News reports that most of the streets in the metropolis have been deserted, while many motorists have abandoned their cars due to fuel scarcity.

Some residents were forced to trek long distances to reach their various destinations as there were few commercial vehicles on the roads.

It was also observed that students of secondary and tertiary institutions have resorted to trekking due to the shortage of commercial vehicles on the roads.

Black market Petrol vendors have capitalised on the situation to sell a gallon of fuel at N6,000.

Alhaji Abubakar Shehu of Dorayi quarters said that he spent nothing less than 11 hours in a queue at a filling station to buy fuel.

Shehu decried the situation and called on the Federal Government and other stakeholders to urgently address the problem.

Isa Musa, a civil servant, said that he had to opt for a ride to go to his office, after spending almost two hours at the bus stop.

“Public buses became so scarce this morning, and I just ordered a ride to take me to my office at an exorbitant cost.

“I would have turned back to go home but I have a very important meeting to attend and it was almost time for the meeting,” he said.

Another civil servant, who gave his name as Rakiya Musa, said “the federal government should declare a state of emergency on the current scarcity of the petroleum products, saying it has crippled socio-economic activities across the country.

“Transportation fares have gone up within days of this fuel scarcity. How do they want us to survive,” Musa asked.

Abdulmuni Isa, a commercial vehicle operator, said: “Increasing the transportation fare is the only way out for us transporters because getting fuel these days is not easy.

“You will notice that most filling stations in Kano are now out of stock, leaving long queues of vehicles stretching into distances in some NNPC stations,” Isa added.

When contacted, the Chairman of Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Kano chapter, Alhaji Gana Girigire, blamed the NNPCL for the petrol scarcity

“It is not our fault, we have sent over 100 trucks to various centers where we buy this commodity, but it is not available,” he said.