FUEL SCARCITY: DEALER BLAMES MARKETERS FOR HOARDING, UNFAIR PROFITEERING

The South-East Zonal Supervisor, Pinnacle Oil and Gas, Mrs Amaka Okonkwo, has criticized some petroleum product marketers for hoarding and unfair profiteering of the products leading to the current scarcity.

Okonkwo said this while speaking to newsmen in Enugu on Thursday on the ongoing artificial scarcity of fuel (PMS) in the country.

She condemned the act of sabotage by some marketers who created the artificial scarcity that shot up pump prices of fuel to between N250 and N300 per liter in and around Enugu state.

The dealer, who recently took delivery of five trucks of petrol at her New Haven station, said the company was poised to help ease the artificial fuel scarcity.

“It is all about greed; the Federal Government has tried its best by injecting sufficient amount of products into the country.

“It is now some of the marketers that are hoarding the products and selling above pump price thereby making things very difficult for the masses.

“In support of the Federal Government; the Chief Executive of Pinnacle Oil and Gas, Chief Peter Mba, has said that it is wrong to create artificial scarcity because it behooves on us as marketers to support the government and ensure that products get to the end users at the approved price.

“So, we are here trying to ensure that we are in tune with what the government is doing, making sure that the situation is brought under control,’’ she stated.

The supervisor assured residents of Enugu state that the company would continue to ensure that “there is inflow of PMS, AGO and other products during this season into the state.

“We have five trucks standing and we hope to keep selling morning, afternoon and night to ease the scarcity and then bring in more trucks and saturate the state with the products.

“This, I believe will force prices down,’’ she said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the scarcity of fuel had led to increase in prices of goods and services in the country.

NAN also reports that the increase had impacted negatively on economic activities and caused untold hardship to Nigerians even beyond the Yuletide and New Year celebrations.