16th June, 2016
Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt
The strike declared by the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas (NUPENG) over sack of its members by some companies operating in Rivers and Bayelsa states is now taking its toll on motorists and consumers of petroleum products in Port Harcourt.
Our correspondent who went round petrol stations in Rumuodamaya headquarters of Obio-Akpor local area found out this morning that the Paflox Petrol Station is the only station selling to consumers at N160 per litre while black markers are now selling N2,200 for 10 litres given the long queues.
The city has now been hit by that fuel scarcity as most stations have ran out stock.
The motorists expressed fear that the scarcity may lead to increase in prices of goods and services in the state.
The motorists called on government to intervene in order to save them from another scarcity of petroleum scarcity.
Charles Eleto, the acting zonal chairman of NUPENG in Port Harcourt, confirmed the ongoing strike explaining that some of its members were sacked by oil services companies in Rivers and Bayelsa states but assured that the strike may soon be called off, following ongoing negotiations with the affected companies.
As at this morning, the scarcity of petroleum products has not significantly affected the intra-city transport fares.