Hundreds of motorists formed long queues in front of filling stations in Abuja on Monday as they waited to buy the Premium Motor Spirit, popularly known as petrol.
The queues were pronounced in the city centre, stretching several metres in most of the filling stations visited.
It was learnt that the queues were triggered by the planned strike by the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, before the oil dealers were prevailed upon by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation to suspend it.
In front of the Conoil filling station located directly opposite the headquarters of the NNPC, the queues by motorists grew very long.
The Total filling station close to Conoil was not dispensing petrol when our correspondent visited the outlet. This made the queues in Conoil to grow longer.
The Nipco filling station along the Lugbe Expressway had long queues of motorists waiting to be served petrol.
The Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, NNPC, Mr. Ndu Ughamadu, told our correspondent that the queues could be as a result of the proposed strike by IPMAN members.
“People react to news of strike by oil marketers and this alone can cause queues in filing stations. But the good thing is that they have suspended the strike after the intervention of the Group Managing Director of the NNPC,” Ughamadu explained.
He stated that the leadership of IPMAN announced the suspension of the scheduled nationwide strike following a meeting with the Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Dr. Maikanti Baru, in Abuja on Monday.
Ughamadu noted that the Chairman, IPMAN Committee on Foreign Exchange Intervention, Products Sourcing and Distribution, Mr. Musa Felande, stated that the meeting with Baru, where peace was brokered, also addressed all the pending issues concerning the association.
Felande was quoted as saying that the meeting put to rest earlier grievances on issues relating to products’ supply, the equalisation fund, access to forex and pricing of products, which were of interest to IPMAN.
He said, “This is a very remarkable day for IPMAN and the country. We want to let the public know today that IPMAN is now one single group and we are determined to continue to support the government.
“We are calling on all IPMAN members to go on with the usual supply and distribution of products in their respective stations and retail outlets across the country.”
