Many people who travel and drive in Anambra State were stuck on Wednesday because petrol stations across the state were closed.
PUNCH Online learned that most petrol stations in the main cities of Awka, Onitsha, Nnewi, Umunze, Ekwulobia, and other surrounding areas were selling fuel on Wednesday morning.
From the Upper Iweka parks in Onitsha to the Aroma roundabout in Awka and other main cities, the situation was the same.
As a result, the small number of vehicles on the road greatly increased transportation prices by more than 200 percent.
People who managed to get on the few available buses were forced to pay very high prices.
For example, commercial transporters charged N500 for a trip that usually costs N200, while a trip of N500 cost between N1,200 and N1,500.
The sudden situation caught many travelers off guard, leading several people to walk to different locations.
PUNCH Online also noticed that many offices and business places have not opened as of 10:30 am because employees have not come to work.
The reason for the closure of petrol stations could not be immediately determined.
Meanwhile, the situation caused a lot of mixed feelings among the public.
While some people thought that the petrol stations were on strike, others believed that it was a deliberate attempt by the sellers to increase the pump price of the product.
A tricycle operator traveling on the Onitsha route, named Tochukwu, said, "I bought fuel from the black market for as high as N1,350 per litre this morning to work because we found out that filling stations did not open.
Some of my colleagues went to Asaba in Delta State to get the product, that is why the prices of transportation are high this morning.
We don't know why the filling stations are closed, but we are hearing that it is like they are in a meeting somewhere in Awka.
We have experienced this kind of situation before and when they came back from their meeting that day, they raised the pump price of petrol. It's likely to be the same situation, we are watching as events unfold.
A commuter in Awka, named Chinwe Okeke, said, "I have been waiting at the Regina Caelis bus stop for over two hours trying to get on a vehicle to UNIZIK, but it has been difficult. The vehicles that are coming have been charging very high prices, I don't know what is really happening.
When asked about the situation, the Anambra State Commissioner for Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Anthony Ifeanya, said, "There is no need to worry and travelers and drivers should not panic.
It's likely that the petrol sellers are in a meeting and whenever they are having such a meeting, closing petrol stations is a way of forcing every member to attend the meeting. Their meeting usually starts from morning till noon.
It was also noticed that the sudden fare increase also affected both inter-state and intra-state movements.
