…CSOs give Buhari Dec 31 deadline
From Uche Usim, Abuja, Adewale Sanyaolu, Lagos and Magnus Eze, Abuja
The fuel scarcity being experienced across the country and poor electricity supply have compounded the woes of Nigerians during the Yuletide.
Despite repeated assurance by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) that it was on top of the situation, the fuel crisis, which is about three weeks old, has gone from bad to worse.
Most areas in Lagos are without power, a development that left many families bored as children could not watch television.
Regrettably, power generating sets that could have provided a soft landing could not be used due to the scarcity of petrol
Transport fares have increased astronomically, with the few vehicles plying some major routes exploiting commuters.
A visit by Daily Sun to most of the filling stations within Lagos, revealed that there has not been much of improvement in fuel supply as long queues of motorists dotted the filling stations.
As early as 6am, the Oando filling station on Iju Road was a beehive of activities while the Emadeb filling station on Apapa-Oshodi Expressway had so many motorists scampering to get fuel as at 5pm.
Some motorists who spoke to Daily Sun, expressed their frustrations, saying this is the worst Christmas ever, as the country’s energy crisis made a mess of the celebration.
In Abuja, the persisting fuel scarcity forced thousands of motorists to celebrate their Christmas at various filling stations across the city.
As early as 3am, hundreds of motorists had queued at the NNPC mega stations and other retail outlets owned by independent marketers within the metropolis, long before fuel attendants resumed about 5am.
Interestingly, some retail outlets have commenced a 24-hour operation, just as the Federal Government had directed all depots to workround the clock to enable rapid lifting of petrol to serve all the states in the country.
Aside the NNPC mega stations, some major marketers including Conoil, MRS, and Oando located within the Wuse area of the FCT had petrol but with the usual lengthy queues.
Meanwhile, Coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs); OurMumuDonDo Movement led by popular musician, Charles Oputa (aka) Charley Boy, yesterday, gave President Muhammadu Buhari, December 31 deadline to end the fuel crisis rocking the nation.
The group, which said Nigerians were tired of his repulsive apathy towards their plight, also attributed the deafening silence in the civil societies’ camp as the nation languished in hardship coupled with rumours of impending price hike of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) to the compromise of leading civil society actors.
