Black marketers infiltrate NNPC mega station
Black marketers have infiltrated the Katsina NNPC mega station reselling for between N550 and N600 a four-litre keg of fuel obtained from the station, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.
NAN correspondent reports that he overheard some black marketers saying that they had reached an understanding with security operatives including the police deployed to the station to obtain the very scarce petrol and diesel and resell them outside the stations.
The marketers claimed that they pay as much as between N400 and N500 as bribe to obtain a 50-litre keg of the commodity at the controlled-price of N63.50.
NAN reports that though no jerry can or gallon is officially allowed into NNPC mega stations across the country, the order is openly flouted at the Katsina station as jerry cans are freely used.
Similarly, the station operators allow car owners to gain entry into the station from the outward gate after the payment of a token to fill their tanks without joining the queue which sometimes are up to two kilometre-long.
However, many vehicle owners who decide to obey the law, stay on the queue overnight in spite of the harsh harmattan weather in the state.
NAN recalls Mr Adelanke Bakare, the north-eastern regional manager of the African Petroleum (AP), recently telling newsmen in Katsina that the station would start a 24-hour service to customers.