By Aliyu DANLADI
Some petroleum products marketers in Kano State have closed their filling stations in anticipation of the impending strike scheduled to begin on Tuesday by the organised labour.
The long queues of vehicles resurfaced in some petrol stations in some parts of the state on Monday.
Most of product marketers in Gwarzo, headquarters of Gwarzo Local Government Area of the state closed their filling stations.
There were queues of vehicles at the few filling stations that were selling the product as some of the marketers were reluctant to sell the product.
The situation was the same on Zaria road, Kwanar Dangora town, Bebeji Local Government Area.
A commercial vehicle driver, Malam Aminu Bello, said he had to be on the queue at one of the filling stations before he could refill the vehicle tank.
According to him, he spent about an hour at the filling station before he could buy the commodity.
Some people who spoke to NAN on the issue, urged the marketers to have the fear of God and sell the products as the products were available in most filling stations.
“Most of the filling stations have the product in stock but the marketers are trying to cause artificial scarcity in order to maximise profit,” a resident, Malam Adamu Sale said.
Another resident, Adamu Isiyaka, called on the Federal Government and labour to ensure amicable resolution of the dispute over minimum wage.
However, in Kano metropolis most of the filling stations were opened and selling the product as some motorists engaged in panic buying.
When contacted, the state Chairman of the Independent Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Alhaji Bashir Dan-Malam, attributed the development to recent rumour that made the rounds.
According him it was rumoured that the federal government planned to reduce the official fuel pump price from the N145 per litre to N95 per litre.
“Following the rumour which we however dispelled, some marketers suspended buying the product from the depots across the country.
“But we have already asked our members to ignore the rumour because it is not true and that is why they resumed business,” he said.
He expressed optimism that the situation would normalise as from Tuesday as the NNPC depot had taken delivery of over 300 trucks of the commodity and would soon distribute it to filling stations across the state.
