On a hot Sunday afternoon on the 6th of March 2022, Johnson Agwaza drove around town searching for fuel. After driving around the streets of Makurdi, the capital city of Benue State for some time, he finally finds a filling station selling fuel and only with a short queue. After spending about an hour at the Fortunetrez filling station, he finally got some for his car.
After purchasing the product, Johnson called his friends. ‘There is fuel at Fortunetrez filling station, along Sen. George Akume road; the queue is not much although they are selling at N260 per litre.’
According to Johnson, ‘Yes, the price is on the high side, but only four filling stations in Makurdi sell at government-approved prices. So getting it at N260 is better than buying black market at N400,’ he responded.
NNPC mega station sells at N162, AA Rano at N165, AYA Shafa at N165, and Rain Oil, are the only filling stations that sell at the government-approved rates in Makurdi according to Johnson. These stations have endless queues, and one might spend the whole day with no guarantee of buying the product.
Although fuel subsidies are still in place, filling stations have used the current situation to exploit the residents of Makurdi.
Based on the Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) analysis, the fuel price per litre without subsidy should be no more than between N211 and N232 per litre. However, the unyielding fuel scarcity scenario has seen Nigerians purchasing fuel far above the even the unsubsidized rates. In Makurdi, that rate is between N220 to N260/litre.
For residents of the city their only choice is to either buy fuel between N220 to N260 or queue at the four filling stations, which sell at government-approved prices, with no guarantee of buying the product. These stations also have a limit of no more than N5,000 worth of fuel at a go.
Everyone is entitled to fuel equal to or less than N5,000 at filling stations in Makurdi,’ Mr Geofrey said. ‘If you want a full tank, you will have to tip the pump attendant with N200 to N500 to fill your tank,’ he concluded.
Black market dealers cost more, selling as high as N400 per litre. In cities like the FCT, black market fuel costs as high as N500/litre.
‘Mr Benjamin, a barber who needs fuel to power his generator to attend to his customers, is now compelled to buy from black marketers. For him, it’s not funny as the price he charges is fixed and so his income has dwindled since the scarcity started.
Mr James said he had to tip the security guard at the station with a thousand naira to grant him access to the station.
Those who don’t have the luxury of spending hours at the station and can’t afford it at the black market have to park their vehicles at home and go about using public transport, although the costs have also gone up.
The very human impact of the ongoing fuel scarcity continues unabated.