Long queues resurface in Osun as fuel subsidy bites

Long queues has resurfaced in most fuel station in Osogbo, the Osun State capital days after President Bola Tinubu's announced the suspension of the decade-old fuel subsidy.

Vehicle owners and commercial drivers could be seen scrambling for spaces at fuel stations as they engaged in panic buying.

It is unclear if marketers are hoarding Premium Motor Spirit, PMS.

The Government had warned petroleum marketers against the act it described as "unpatriotic and an act of sabotage". It stressed that its Special Monitoring Team on fuel scarcity was in force and would not hesitate to crack the whip on marketers who go contrary to the rules.

Recall that President Bola Tinubu in his inaugural speech on Monday, MAY 29 said the era of subsidy payment on fuel has ended, adding that the 2023 Budget made no provision for fuel subsidy and more so, subsidy payment is no longer justifiable.

“The fuel subsidy is gone,” Tinubu said, noting that his government would instead channel funds into infrastructure and other areas to strengthen the economy.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has since backed Tinubu on the removal of fuel subsidy.

Fuel queues have since resurfaced across the country since the presidential pronouncement as Nigerians forage for the premium product.

The TUC said the President cannot unilaterally take a decision on subsidy removal, saying that there was a reason the immediate past administration of Muhammadu Buhari pushed the “sensitive issue” to the new government.

According to Daily Post, operatives of the Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR, on Tuesday temporarily sealed up Oduoye fuel station Fakunle Area for attempting to sell fuel above N250.

It took the intervention of customers for the DPR to unseal the station and allow for business.

Long queues were also observed at fuel stations like Adolak and Matrix along the Gbongan-Ibadan road, Osogbo.

A customer, Jamiu Mohammed, said most of the fuel stations he visited, he observed off-and-on the selling of petrol.

“I noticed that they will sell fuel, and after a while, they we’ll stop and await further instructions from their bosses.

“Customers were just going from one fuel station to the other looking for the product and this is what led to panic buying among the buyers,” he told Daily Post.