Africa 24 news
The previous two weeks have seen fuel stations filling up drivers and riders in strenuous not-too long queues.
But the short queues are signs of very bad days to happen sooner or later in days or weeks or month times.
Throughout end of last month and now, some Waterloo motorcycle riders and drivers have been telling passengers that they hardly secure petrol at most fuel stations in the country.
As that happened last week, in particular, commercial vehicles became scarce on the streets with poor passengers waiting at destination points for hours before getting vehicles home.
On Thursday 9th April, 2024, a woman passenger was heard taking on phone as she gave directives to her husband on the fuel scarcity.
“Can you check back at Cotton Tree, Pandemba Road they must have petrol to sell there,” she sounded.
She continued taking after she dropped the call. “We can’t use our vehicle today to take children to school since we don’t get fuel around at our community, Rokel this morning.”
A fuel station in Freetown
Following development on the seeming fuel crisis in the country, government officials released a threatening notice, promising on taking up a firm penalty against petroleum sellers who are deliberately hoarding the fuel from the market, making it short in supply across the country.
A pump price of a litre of fuel is sold at Le 35, with transport fares within the city and between the provinces charged by drivers and riders higher.
The situation, despite government authorities’ warning, is not stable across the country as most petrol stations are reportedly starving of petroleum.