Fuel attendants and drivers dey engage in serious battle of wits as some filling stations dey exploit drivers through meter scam. According to findings by Sunday PUNCH, some fuel stations dey rig their fuel pumps to deliver less fuel than what drivers pay for, which dey add extra financial burden on families already struggling with economic hardship in Nigeria.
Ishola Ojetunde, a driver who ply the Berger-Interchange route of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, share his experience. He say he no trust filling stations along that road but one day, fuel scarcity force am to refuel his bus at a station in Asese. Ojetunde discover say the attendant dey cheat him and he confront her. The attendant beg am not to report her and offer to give him N5,000 worth of fuel to settle the matter.
Many drivers who speak with Sunday PUNCH reveal say they no monitor the meters during refuelling and only discover the scam after leaving the filling stations. For example, Ibrahim, a commercial driver, buy N10,000 worth of diesel but the meter read 17 litres instead of the expected amount. He argue with the attendant and refuse to pay for the extra litres he no get.
The tactics fuel attendants use include faking ignorance to distract customers and allowing the meter to read beyond the amount the driver wants to buy. Sometimes, they pump air into the tank instead of fuel, forcing drivers to pay for what they no get.
This scam dey affect many drivers and passengers, and it’s a call for greater vigilance and regulation to ensure fairness and integrity in fuel sales.
