Soaring Petrol Prices and Scarcity Hit Kaduna, Kano, and Katsina.

Drivers in the Nigerian states of Kaduna, Kano, and Katsina are paying exorbitant prices for increasingly scarce petrol. Investigations by News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) correspondents revealed the horrific experiences of citizens facing this crisis.

Most major and independent marketers have closed their filling stations, and the few that remain open have drastically increased petrol prices to between N800 and N1000, worsening the already unstable situation. Black market petrol vendors are in high demand, selling a 4-liter gallon for between N5000 and N6000.

A cross-section of drivers expressed their dismay to NAN, highlighting how the situation has negatively impacted their activities. Salisu Baso, a civil servant, lamented spending twice as much on travel to reach his office at the Federal Secretariat in Kawo-Kaduna. He criticized the government and marketers for passing the buck and called for urgent action to address the crisis, which is jeopardizing socio-economic activities in the country.

Mrs. Franscisca Idika, a merchant at Chechnya market in Kaduna, said the high prices and ongoing petrol shortage have severely impacted her business. She now pays more to reach the market and has to increase her prices to break even.

Similar depressing circumstances, including increased costs and never-ending lines at the few open filling stations, were reported in Kano and Katsina. Mr. Alao Jaremi, a Katsina IT specialist, urged authorities to act quickly to ensure petrol availability nationwide. Malam Ibrahim Dan-Musa in Kano echoed this sentiment, calling for government intervention to alleviate the suffering of Nigerians.

NNPCL and the oil marketers continue to blame each other for the petrol scarcity. NNPCL attributes the lengthy lines to a recent thunderstorm that disrupted ship-to-ship fuel loading, truck load-outs, and berthing at jetties. In contrast, marketers claim they are unable to use the NNPCL portal to order petrol.