Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), popularly known as petrol, now sells for between N240 and per litre N250 in Awka, the Anambra state capital, and its environs.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Correspondent who monitored the situation in Awka on Wednesday, reports that the NNPC mega station in the town was closed to customers for lack of products.
NAN also reports that most private outlets had products but were all selling above the regulated price of between N180 and N190.
Mr Jones Ani, a motorist, said the arbitrary increase in the pump price of petrol was an additional burden on citizens which should be addressed urgently.
Ani said it was no longer pleasurable to use private cars due to the huge cost of maintenance while calling on the Federal Government, through the Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), to protect customers.
According to him, the pump price of petrol has continued to rise, from the normal N185 we are now paying N240 per litre, this is an unacceptable burden on us.
“Sadly, nobody is watching the marketers, nobody is protecting us. I call on the Federal Government to address this situation which has lingered for two weeks now,” he said.
A commuter bus operator who simply identified himself as Emeka said the increase had already been built into fares with an additional N50 on former fares for every intra-city drop.
Emeka said the increase in the price of petrol is affecting their business and also affecting the prices of other goods and services.