By Jeremiah Archibong, Jonathan Ugbal, Frank Edima and Ikwen Atuaka
Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) also known as petrol is now selling for almost N400 per litre in Calabar the Cross River State capital barely 24 hours after the timeline earlier given by the Minister of state for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu to end the lingering fuel crisis.
This is even as the Petroleum Products and Marketing Company (PPMC) Wednesday, in Lagos said 7 cargoes of petrol arrived the nation’s shores Tuesday for onward distribution in a bid to ensure the problem of scarcity is solved in several major cities.
Ibe Kachikwu had earlier assured that fuel will be available in Lagos and Abuja by 7th of April and in several other urban centers by weekend.
However, findings by CrossRiverWatch reveal that the measures put in place have not assuaged the scarcity situation in Cross River as fuel still sells for between N250 and N400 which has caused fares across the state to hike up to 100 percent.
From the northern senatorial district, Ikwen Atuaka reports that fuel sells for between N200 and N220 per litre in fueling stations and between N270 and N350 in the black market with only a few fuelling stations dispensing the product while the government controlled NNPC dispensing station in Abakpa, Ogoja was not dispensing the product as at press time.
In the central senatorial district, our sources say the product sells for between N180 and N220 per litre with the same price as the northern senatorial district in the black markets with very limited fuelling stations in Ikom, Obubra, Yakurr and Abi local government areas dispensing the product.
In the southern senatorial district, Jeremiah Archibong and Jonathan Ugbal report that all fuelling stations excluding those operated by the government, Northwest petroleum and Total in Yellow Duke street, are not dispensing the product while those in Akamkpa, Akpabuyo, Bakassi, and some parts of Odukpani local government areas sold at rates ranging from N170 to N200 with black market sellers pegging their prices between N250 and N350 in areas such as Mayne Avenue, Marian (at night) and Yellow Duke and between N300 and N400 at Calabar road, Mbukpa, Jebs, Afokang, and several other places.
Frank Edima reports that the commodity sells for between N220 and N250 in fuelling stations in Bakassi local government area and almost double the price at the Black market.
It will be recalled that CrossRiverWatch recently reported that motorists fingered the scarcity as the cause for the monumental hike in transport fares across the state with a hundred percent hike experienced by road users within the Calabar metropolis and its environs.
A drop within town which used to be N50 has increased to N100 while from the town to 8 miles which was formerly N100 is now N200 with Frank Edima reporting that Bakassi to Calabar which was between N250 and N300 has skyrocketed to N500 flat.