Chaos at filling stations as drivers battle fuel shortage
There were chaotic scenes at various fuel stations in Accra as drivers scrambled for fuel following the supply of petrol from the country’s strategic reserves of petroleum products from the Bulk Oil and Transport Company (BOST).
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From Accra, the nation’s capital, to Wa, the Upper West Regional capital, long queues of plastic containers, motorbikes and vehicles were the spectacle at filling stations.
The filling stations without petroleum products were all deserted, as their owners had boldly displayed “No Petrol” notice.
The scramble for fuel took fierce turn when private vehicle owners and commercial drivers who had queued overnight were overtaken by some aggressive young men holding yellow plastic containers who converged on the fuel pumps for express service.
Some female drivers were spotted making their way aggressively into the fuel stations and shouting at their male counterparts who attempted forcing their way and thereby side-stepping the queues.
Enough fuel
Meanwhile the government, in a statement signed and released yesterday by a Deputy Minister of Information and Media Relations, Mr Felix Kwakye Ofosu, said enough petrol had been supplied to the various oil-marketing companies (OMCs) and was available at the service stations.
It said the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum and the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) would continue to dispatch products every day until the situation stabilised.
“While apologising to the motoring and general public for the inconvenience and anxiety created by the shortage, the Ministry of Information and Media Relations urges the public to cease the panic buying because there is enough stock, which is being released onto the market,” the statement said.
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Energy Minister
In a related development, the Minister of Energy and Petroleum, Mr Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, and officials of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) had visited some depots in Tema to assess the situation and ensure bulk supplies.
He repeated the earlier assurance that every effort was being made to restore supplies to normalcy, adding that the joint police and NPA task force was on the ground to clamp down on fuel retailers who were hoarding the commodity.
Mr Buah also regretted any inconvenience caused to the general public.
He explained that even though some stock had been pushed into the system, motorists were not realising it because of the break in supplies last week.
Mr Buah indicated that as a result of the general shortage in the system, there was some level of hoarding and panic buying.
He expressed regret that a combination of factors had brought about the present challenges but was hopeful that the government’s measures would ease the situation within the shortest possible time.
Situation on the ground
However, a good number of fuel stations visited by the Daily Graphic in Accra had “No fuel” boldly written on wooden boards and placed at the entrances to the stations.
At the Total Filling Station at the Total House, the Manager, Mr Ben Laryea, said the station ran out of petrol two weeks ago, saying, “The supply has been on and off”.
He said three days ago it was supplied with 13,500 litres but that got finished in no time.
The Castle Road Shell Filling Station near the Accra Psychiatric Hospital had a supply of 9,000 litres at dawn on yesterday and started selling at 7:30 a.m. but by 9 a.m. the supply had been exhausted, leaving the otherwise busy station with no sign of life.
The Goil and Shell Filling stations adjoining the Ghana Commercial Bank Tower at Adabraka were on a virtual holiday as “No Fuel” posts had been placed there, with the attendants idling around.
The situation was no different at the Glory Oil Station at the Danquah Circle where the 27,000 litres of petrol that came there late Saturday night had been exhausted by midday on Sunday, with a large number of gallon-wielding consumers looking on with disappointment.
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Kwabena Adu, a banker, told the Daily Graphic that he had to buy mobile phone credit for a young man who slept in a kiosk near the fuel station to alert him when a fuel tanker arrived with supply.
“The young guy did a good job. He called me at 2 a.m. that the tanker had arrived. Quickly I also called my friends and we rushed there to be served and we also got some in gallons as reserve,” he narrated.
A taxi driver, who identified himself only as Yaw, said he had to travel to Agona Swedru to buy fuel, saying that he did not have enough money to fill his tank there.
At the Benab Oil Station at Atomic Junction and Kisseman, four fuel tankers were spotted discharging fuel, while the queue at the Atomic Junction had extended into the main road, leading to a traffic jam.
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A young man, Kwabena Teye, who identified himself as a concerned citizen, said the fuel shortage was due to the government not honouring its debt obligations to the bulk distribution companies (BDCs) and found it a bit surprising that some government officials would blame fuel stations for hoarding fuel.
The shortage had also led to bumper sales for those who sell yellow gallons, which have become an instant resource in the quest for fuel.
Alhaji Baba, who sells gallons at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle, told the Daily Graphic that he had sold more than 200 empty gallons in the past three days.
For him, it was his prayer that the shortage would continue for him to make more sales.
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At two filling stations opposite each other at Bawaleshie at East Legon, the Strategic Energy Limited (SEL) and Allied Oil, there were long queues of vehicles, motorbikes and gallons.
There were hundreds of drivers and individuals who came with the vehicles, motorbikes or gallons to buy petrol which arrived mid-afternoon on Saturday.
To control the situation, there were three separate queues for vehicles, motorbikes and gallons.
An Army officer and the private security of the station were seen ensuring order at the station.
The situation caused heavy vehicular traffic at East Legon, making it virtually impossible for vehicles to move for several hours.
Although the SEL Station had diesel in stock, an attendant, Mr Enoch Batsa, said they had run out of Super on Wednesday.
He said about 54,000 litres of the Super was discharged for distribution on Saturday.
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