Following the announcement of fuel subsidy removal by President Bola Tinubu in his inaugural speech on Monday, queues have returned to filling stations in Abuja.
The correspondent, who monitored the petrol supply situation in Maitama, Wuse, Gwarimpa, Wuye and Kubwa areas of Abuja, reports that there are long queues in filling stations and some are closed.
Some of the filling stations are selling at the approved pump price while some have increased the prices by Monday evening.
Some residents of the capital city complained that the scarcity would affect the economy, as most businesses would be negatively affected.
A civil servant, Mr Brown Uzor, said he has been in the filling station since 7 a.m., and has not been able to get fuel.
“We know it’s not the government’s making but the government should work on the roadmap to avoid any further problem.
“However, we saw this coming, I believe it’s just panic buying and the filling stations are taking advantage of the president’s speech.
“I personally want the subsidy to be removed because as a nation we need to grow but the fuel price should not be too high because of the ordinary Nigerian,” Uzor said.
The President, in his inaugural speech, said that the fuel subsidy regime had ended with the commencement of his administration.
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) are addressing the concerns regarding the removal of fuel subsidy.
The agency stated that it was working to avoid disruptions in the supply of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as petrol, and ensure that consumers are not short-changed in any form.
The agency has assured that it would ensure steady supply of the commodity to meet demand, and had taken necessary steps to ensure that the distribution channels remained uninterrupted and fuel readily available at all filling stations nationwide.
