Fuel Scarcity: Nigerians Lament Hardship As Tinubu Marks First Day In Office

Less than 24 hours after President Bola Tinubu assumed office, many Nigerians have been groaning over the current fuel crisis, resulting to queues at filling stations.

In his inaugural speech, the president had announced that fuel subsidy “is gone”.

Shortly after President Tinubu announced the removal of subsidy on petrol otherwise known as fuel, queues returned in major petrol stations across the country, especially in Lagos and Abuja.

The situation grew worse on Tuesday as pump price of petrol rose astronomically.

In Ebonyi, the pump price  increased to N1,200 per litre in Abakaliki, the state capital.

Scores of residents, who decried the high cost of petrol in the country, said they have since been engaged in panic buying.

Some residents were also seen with their cans as many filling stations were under lock.

A resident, Darlington Okeke, said panic buying was occasioned by Tinubu’s statement during his inauguration on Monday.

Okeke stated that petrol in filling stations was sold between N800 and N1,200, against N230 per litre.

Another resident, Ibrahim Ali, said black marketers sold a litre of fuel for N1,500, adding that the development was causing panic buying and frustration among residents.

He, however, appealed to Tinubu to address the situation to mitigate panic buying and arbitrary hoarding of the products, which marketers introduced after the announcement by the president.