The fuel scarcity, which resurfaced in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, has refused to go away, barely two weeks after Christmas and the New Year.
Findings by our correspondent revealed that most filling stations in the capital had been without products for over a month while those with the products had taken advantage of the scarcity to engage in malpractices for quick gains.
Although the major marketers have not openly increased their pump prices, they are more inclined to sell their products to hawkers who have sprung up by the stations and are making brisk business.
It was observed that although the stations complained of lack of products to dispense to the public, the unofficial market operators near their stations had enough fuel to sell.
Most of the hawkers claimed that scarcity had created an avenue for them to make money and prayed that it should continue as the government had since stopped providing employment for them.
As at Tuesday afternoon, only three stations along Port Harcourt-Aba Expressway were selling products to consumers while two on the Station-Township Road were opened.
The development led to the emergence of a large crowd at the affected stations and blockade of the two main roads in Port Harcourt for most part of the day.
As a result, many motorists had to park their cars and trek to their destinations while others waited for hours on the roadside to board commercial buses to their offices.
But most commercial buses were also off the road, leading to the presence of a few vehicles on the streets.