…Fuel sells for N200/litre
By Adewale Sanyaolu
Nigerians may spend this Easter holidays without electricity as power generation from the national grid dropped to 2841 MW this week from over 4068 MW attained last week.
The situation has forced majority of the distribution companies (Discos) to embark on massive loading shedding, an indication that many homes may celebrate the Easter without power.
A breakdown of the power allocation to the Discos obtained from the website of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) showed that Ikeja Disco got the highest allocation of 478.87mw; Abuja: 364.07; Eko: 348.24; Benin: 284.92; Enugu: 284.92; Ibadan: 411.55; Jos:174.12; Kano: 253.26; Kaduna: 253.26; Port Harcourt: 205.78 and Yola: 110.5.
Meanwhile many motorists travelling outside Lagos had hectic times getting petrol for their cars as a litre of the product sold for N200 at the black market.
Daily Sun investigations revealed that majority of the filling stations had no product, forcing motorists to patronise the black market. From Abule Egba to Ikeja, Ikoyi, Victoria Island, Ikorodu, Ojota, Igando and Maryland, majority of the filling stations were out of stock.
On the ever busy Iju Road, none of the filling stations had products to dispense, save for the NNPC filling station on Jonathan Coker by Fagba Bus Stop, Abule Egba, Lagos. But the station sold for about five hours before shutting down operations.
In Ojota and Airport Road, Lagos, black market operators had a field day as they sold a litre of petrol for N200 to desperate motorists travelling out of Lagos to celebrate Easter with their loved ones.
The development equally affected transport fares, especially for those embarking on inter-state trips. From Agege Pen Cinema and Berger bus stops in Lagos, buses travelling to Ibadan charged commuters N2000 as against the normal fare of N1200.
Most transport operators who spoke to Daily Sun, blamed the development on the high cost of fuel, which, they said forced them to increase transport fares.