Consumers and other end users of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), otherwise known as petrol, are groaning over what they described as a sudden increase in the pump price from about N925 to between N1,020 and above in some areas.
The sudden increment, it was reliably gathered, caught many consumers unaware, as there was no prior notification.
In the early hours of Friday in Ibadan and adjoining communities, fuel was sold at between N920 and N925 per litre.
However, by Friday evening, most filling stations had adjusted their pump prices to between N1,020 and N1,080 per litre.
While some filling stations sold fuel at higher rates, others shut their gates to customers on Friday.
The development resulted in long queues at some filling stations, while the practice of residents moving around with 5- and 10-litre jerry cans resurfaced in the ancient city of Ibadan.
By Saturday morning, some of the filling stations that were locked on Friday had reopened, but with a new price regime.
One of the petrol attendants at a filling station in Odo-Ona area of Oluyole Local Government Area, who identified himself as Tajudeen Akanmu, told our correspondent that they received information about the increase late on Friday.
According to him, “We got information through our station manager that the pump price has been increased, although the exact price was not immediately fixed.
“We decided to shut down operations until we received further directives from him.”
It was gathered that the increase in pump price might not be unconnected with rising tensions in the Middle East, particularly involving Iran, the United States and Israel.
Akanmu added that the development would affect both consumers and workers in the sector.
“We are not part of the decision to increase the price. It will affect us one way or the other. Transport fares from one end of the town to another have already been reviewed upward by commercial bus and taxi drivers,” he said.
He added that the development could soon affect the prices of foodstuffs and other household commodities.
A visit to the NNPC filling station in the Soka area of Ibadan showed that PMS was being sold at N1,080 per litre.
Similarly, at Alleluyah Oil in Soka, PMS was also sold at N1,080, although no queue was observed at the station.
Energy Switch filling station, also located in the Soka area, sold PMS at the same price of N1,080 per litre.
Speaking with journalists, a motorist, Dayo Adebayo, appealed to the government to find a solution to the rising price of petrol.
According to him, “We plead with the government to find solutions to the increase in the price of petrol. As of yesterday, many filling stations were under lock, while some opened today selling at N1,080 per litre.”
Tribune
