21 May 2013, Dutse – Residents of Dutse, Jigawa, on Tuesday expressed concern over the lingering scarcity of kerosene in the area.
Most servicing stations in the metropolis had run out of stock, forcing the price of kerosene to go up by about 120 per cent above official pump price, the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, reports.
NAN also reports that touts had hijacked the NNPC retail station, a situation which disrupted sales of kerosene to the public.
Hundreds of desperate consumers were spending hours on the queues hoping to buy the commodity.
A litre of kerosene is selling at N120 at the black market as against the official price of N50.
Ibrahim Kabir, a resident, said the persistent scarcity of the product was exposing them to difficulties and causing heavy drain in their pockets.
Kabir said that most families were forced to shift to firewood despite its cumbersome processes.
“Kerosene is beyond the reach of the common man as most families could not afford the exorbitant prices at the market.
“Black market operators always buy the product from the NNPC at a lower price and sell it at 120 per litre,” he said.
Another resident, Ismaila Sule, described the situation as “pathetic” and urged the federal government to end scarcity of the commodity in the state.
Commenting on the development, Mr Mukhtar Ishaq, the NNPC Retail Manager in charge of Dutse Station, said the station had received more than 99,000 litres of the products in the last three months, which was dispensed to the public.
Ishaq said the company had adopted measures to enhance supply and end scarcity of the product.