Kano groans as petrol price hits N1,000 per litre, urges FG to caution marketers

Some motorists in Kano State have called on the Federal Government to take decisive actions against fuel marketers who have continued to exploit members of the public by selling their product at exorbitant prices.

Price of fuel has skyrocketed to between N980 and N1000 per litre at filling stations in Kano State.

On Tuesday, motorists and residents said marketers in Kano, especially members of the IPMAN have continued to jerk up their prices on a daily basis by creating artificial scarcity in order to maximise profit.

One of the motorists, Abdullahi Lawan said most marketers  along Maiduguri Road had closed their filling stations despite the fact that they have the commodity in stock.

“I was at AY Maikifi filling station along Maiduguri road dispensing fuel yesterday evening but this morning the filling station is closed despite the fact that they have the commodity,” he said.

Another motorist, Sanusi Bala stressed the need for the Federal Government to take urgent steps, saying the situation had become a crisis in the country.

He explained that the escalating cost of the commodity is responsible for the current high of foodstuffs and services noting that fuel is the backbone of the economy.

Checks show that filling stations have remained closed while the few stations selling the commodity were besieged with long queue of vehicles.

The state chairman of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Alhaji Gana Girgir said all marketers selling the commodity at between N870 and N900 per litre must be selling an old stock.

He noted that marketers in the state are currently buying the commodity from Lagos at N850 per litre and above adding “if you add N60 for transportation it will cost around N910 per litre.

“So, tell me how a marketer can sell the commodity at less than N950 per litre. If he does that he’ll operate at a loss,” he said.

According to him, the inadequate supply of fuel from the NNPC is also contributing to the high cost of the commodity in the country.

“If you check in the city even the government owed mega stations do not having the commodity. So, the issue of fuel in this country is beyond anyone’s imagination,” Girgir added.