Black market thrives as petroleum marketers' strike enters day 2

www.odogwublog.com reports that for two days now running, all filling stations in Nnewi and other parts of Anambra State remain closed as independent petroleum marketers are said to be on protest thereby making black market operators' business to experience an unprecedented boom. But sales have commenced again.

The closure of filling stations has crippled business activities including transportation thereby creating economic hardship to the people of the State.


In Nnewi, as a result of the artificial fuel scarcity, a litre of fuel as at yesterday was between N400 and N500 at black market. And most of the points where it was sold were at the frontage of filling stations which made people suspect that some of the independent marketers might have been using operators of the black market to sell at cut throat pump price.

Transport fares within Nnewi and from the industrial city to other points across the state and beyond have doubled even in some cases tripled. For instance, from Nnewi to Awka before the fuel scarcity was N300. But some transporters were, yesterday, charging N500 to N600. Nnewi to Nnobi yesterday moved from N50 to N100 while commercial motorcycles (Okada) charged higher.

When this reporter moved round the city, all petrol stations were perfectly closed except few Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) mega filling stations which were open on Friday but later halted sales in the morning hours.

 An Nnewi based businessman, Mr Sunday Ugwu described the situation which petroleum scarcity is experienced during the independence anniversary as very unfortunate.


An unconfirmed source claimed that the petroleum marketers are protesting incessant harassment of tanker drivers by security agencies including members of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corp (NSCDC) operators who allegedly led to a fatal accident that took the life of a driver, conductor and a pregnant woman in the state.