Queues for petrol by motorists and other users have reduced at filling stations in Abuja with many stations now selling the product, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

A NAN correspondent who went round the city on Saturday observed that all the filling stations along the Olusegun Obasanjo and Herbert Macaulay Ways were selling the product. At all the filling stations visited in the city, vehicles were moving in and out of the station with ease as against the situation experienced previously.

NAN reports that petrol users in the federal capital city had in the past two weeks experienced some hardship in getting the product. Long queues had been the order of the day at the few filling stations which had the product for sale, with many motorists opting to buy from roadside hawkers as a result.

A motorist, Mr Emeka Obiako, told NAN that he was happy with the improvement in the supply of the product to Abuja. "I am sure that with this, most of those who are hawking the product will soon be out of business," he said.

Obiako called on the Federal Government and its relevant agencies to ensure the speedy resolution of the impasse which brought about the situation hitherto experienced.

"This will help to ensure an improved supply of fuel," he said.

A bus driver, Mr Adamu Ibrahim, acknowledged that the new development had eased the difficulties experienced by motorists. He said he only spent 30 minutes on the queue at the filling station he went to, as against between seven and 10 hours which he spent a few days earlier. "Before now, one will queue for hours without even getting the fuel. Most times, we had queued just because we saw fuel tankers parked in the filling station.

"There was a day I slept in the filling station and still did not get the fuel. But, if it continues this way, everybody will by Monday have enough fuel," Ibrahim said.

Speaking on the situation witnessed in Abuja, Mr Gabriel Oke, Treasurer of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), said the union members had been very understanding. He said this was because transport fares were not increased in spite of the fuel scarcity witnessed across the country. Oke however said the main problem the union was facing was that of the low number of passengers and the Lokoja flooding.

He said many of their drivers had to pay about N2,000 for their vehicles to be pushed across flooded areas while the passengers were boarding canoes to cross to the other side.

"We did not increase the transport fare throughout the period. We don't even have enough passengers, and doing that would have been bad.

"The fares to Ibadan, Kaduna, Minna, Lagos and Enugu still remain N4,500, N1,400, N1,500, N5,500 and N4,000 respectively," the union official said.

He however appealed to government to ensure there would be enough fuel and to also repair the roads to ease the suffering of drivers and passengers.