PMS: Black market hits N1,500 as petrol stations shut down in Calabar

…endless queues resurface, passengers stranded

By Ike Uchechukwu, Calabar

Filling stations belonging to some autarkic and large marketers successful Calabar person unopen down operations successful compliance with the ongoing onslaught declared by the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG).

Checks by Vanguard crossed the Cross River superior connected Tuesday revealed that each outlets on Etta Agbor, Marian, and Calabar South were nether fastener and key. The closures followed fears of sanctions from NUPENG’s task unit and monitoring squad amid the raging quality betwixt the national and the Dangote Group.

Findings showed that astir stations stopped selling substance precocious Monday night, portion a fewer dispensed concisely successful the aboriginal hours of Tuesday earlier shutting their gates.

As of the clip of filing this report, lone NNPC outlets were dispensing petrol, but with long, chaotic queues stretching respective metres.

Some large marketers specified arsenic Fynefield and MRS remained closed, portion fashionable stations including Mobil, Eterna, Shafa, Uddy King, and Total were besides locked up.

With the shutdown, achromatic marketplace operators are cashing in. Prices person soared to betwixt ₦1,300 and ₦1,500 per litre, depending connected the location.

The concern has near commuters stranded astatine large autobus stops, arsenic transport fares person doubled oregon adjacent tripled. For instance, a travel that antecedently outgo ₦200 present goes for ₦500, portion ₦300 routes present pull ₦600.

Unable to spend the caller fares, galore residents were seen trekking agelong distances, peculiarly from Atimbo Roundabout done Etta Agbor to Watt Market.

The station PMS: Black marketplace hits N1,500 arsenic petrol stations unopen down successful Calabar appeared archetypal connected Vanguard News.