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BY: News Peddlers
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.
The directive was announced by DSS Spokesman Peter Afunanya while briefing journalists at the secret police headquarters in Abuja after a three-hour closed-door meeting with stakeholders in the petroleum sector.
He stated that if they do not comply, the DSS will activate its operations throughout the country.
According to Afunanya, the problem of fuel scarcity has reached a level that threatens the country's security.
He stated that the NNPC agreed during the meeting that there is enough product to serve Nigerians during and after the Yuletide season.
For weeks, vehicle owners, particularly in Lagos and Abuja, have struggled to find petrol at filling stations. While many stores are closed, the few that are open sell the essential commodity for as much as N250 per litre, up from the standard price of N169/litre.
The scarcity of fuel has resulted in long, arduous snake-like lines at the few open filling stations as motorists and business owners compete to buy it, while others resort to the black market. The situation has also exacerbated traffic on major highways, with vehicle owners blocking at least one lane to join queues at gas stations.