The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited and oil marketers have been given a 48-hour deadline by the Department of State Services (DSS) to make Premium Motor Spirit, also known as petrol, available to Nigerians.
Peter Afunanya, the DSS spokesman, made the announcement while briefing reporters at the secret police headquarters in Abuja following a lengthy, behind-closed-doors meeting with petroleum industry players that lasted over three hours.
If you don’t comply, the DSS will start operating all throughout the nation, he said.
Afunanya claims that the issue of gasoline scarcity has grown to a point where it threatens national security.
According to him, the NNPC concurred during the discussion that there is sufficient goods to feed Nigerians both throughout and after the holiday season.
Particularly in Lagos and Abuja, vehicle owners have struggled for weeks to purchase gasoline from gas stations. While most stores remain closed, the few that are open sell the essential good for as much as N250 per litre in contrast to the standard price of N169 per litre.
Long, arduous lines of drivers and business owners jostling for fuel at the few open filling stations have resulted from the paucity of supply, with some turning to the illicit market. Traffic on major roads has also been worse as a result of vehicle owners blocking at least one lane to join lines at gas stations.
