A litre of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), aka petrol, is sold for N2,000 per litre at the border communities in Ogun State, Daily Trusto reports.
Residents told our correspondent that the ongoing fuel crisis has compounded the woes of the locals currently battling a ban on the sale of petroleum products to border communities within 20 kilometres radius.
In 2019, then President Muhammadu Buhari had banned the supply of petroleum products to Nigerians living within 20km to the country’s frontiers to curtail the diversion of subsidised fuel to neighbouring countries.
The Buhari government later granted some filling stations waivers to sell fuel in the border areas, but the number is insignificant to the population in the areas.
Many of the residents rely heavily on the black-market for fuel purchase in the border areas which sell at exorbitant rates.
A community leader in Iwoye-Ketu, Imeko-Afon Local government Area, Ismaila Ahmed, described the ongoing fuel crisis as “a serious one.”
He said “It’s a very serious case here. One litre is N2,000 here. We can’t even get to buy it at the fueling stations, it’s only through the ‘black market.’
“From Iwoye to Imeko, I paid N3,000 for transportation. The same distance used to be N700 – N800. Only one filling station is selling and customers have besieged the station, others have shut down operations”.
Another border resident, Abdulganiyu Alabi, told our correspondent that a litre is sold at N1,300 to N1,400 in Idiroko and Ijofin communities.
“It’s between N1300 and N1,400 here. And it’s black market. The few filling stations licensed, don’t sell everyday, they sell at N1,000,” he said.
Alabi blamed indiscriminate check points mounted by security agents along Ota-Idiroko road for the skyrocketing price of fuel sold by the “black marketers.”
“I don’t blame those selling fuel at that rate. The black marketers buy fuel at Owode, Ota and transport it back to Idiroko to re-sell. Before they return to Idiroko, they have to give some tips to all security agents along the road.
“There are at least 150 check points along Owode-Idiroko road. When they get here, they may have spent a lot, thereby forcing them to sell at a higher price.
“Life is so hard here,” he lamented.
