Abuja: Fuel prices in Abuja have surged to as high as ₦880 per litre, leaving many motorists stranded and commuters grappling with soaring transport fares. Residents are calling on the Federal Government to intervene amid worsening hardship.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) is presently selling at N875, while other fuel outlets are selling between N875 and N880.
NAN investigations reveal that, as a result of the development, many commercial and private car owners have parked their cars. This was because they could not afford to fuel them.
During the week, many commuters, including civil servants, were seen stranded at various bus stops. This was because the few commercial vehicles operating had increased transport fares.
Some motorists who spoke to NAN expressed sadness over the situation. They also called on the Federal Government to intervene in the volatile fuel prices and the hardship they cause citizens.
A civil servant, Mrs Halima Khalid, said that the hardship was too much to bear.
“The hardship is too much. At times, I do not go to work because there is no money for transportation, and feeding is even a bigger problem.”
Khalid urged the government to intervene.
“I believe if the fuel price is stable, the cost of goods and services will be stable for a while.
“Whenever you go to the market to buy foodstuffs, you will discover the price has increased, and it is not supposed to be like this, in this country whatsoever things that go up hardly come down.
“Although the price of food has slightly reduced, we cannot feel it because of the unstable cost of fuel,” she said.
Khalid explained that, due to the country’s economic hardship, many civil servants have converted their cars to commercial use—also known as “kabu kabu”—to make ends meet.
Most times, I enter commercial cars because they are a bit cheaper as the operators just need money to augment their fuel.
Another civil servant, Mr Umar Sani, said he had been resuming work late since transport fares had increased and had not been reduced even after the adjustment.
“I have a car, but I cannot afford the high cost of fuel. Using a commercial vehicle is cost-effective, and so many people are in this condition.
“There are lots of passengers at the bus stop, but no vehicles, and this is because there is no gain in the business anymore.
“We know it is not the government’s making, but it needs to work on the roadmap to resolve the issue and avoid further problems,” Sani said.
Chief Ezekiel Offor, a businessman, said that the removal of the fuel subsidy, without proper plans in place, has affected both the oil and gas sector and, consequently, the nation’s economy.
The rising dollar makes it hard for importers and marketers to buy petrol because they must sell to buy and make a profit.
“If the government is not ready to make a lasting policy, it should bring back the subsidy, as a lot of citizens are suffering.
“The market is unstable, and the hardship keeps getting worse daily,” he said.
Another civil servant, Julie Obi, commented on the situation, noting that some drivers using Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) still charge high fares, which she believes is unfair to citizens.
“Cars with CNG are supposed to charge lower transportation fares, but they are taking advantage of the situation.
“I recently ordered a ride and needed to put something in the trunk, only to discover it was a CNG car, but his fare was the same as that of vehicles that use fuel.
“I asked him, and he said that if I was not comfortable with his price, I should cancel the ride. Relevant authorities need to check these drivers,” she said.
Obi said that some of the CNG cars that the government supported were given stickers, but they were removed just to charge more.
A taxi driver, Jamiu Sule, said that things were so complicated at present, as drivers were struggling with the high cost of petrol and food.
“I run at a loss now, this is because I buy at a high cost, and if I increase the transportation cost, some passengers may not be able to afford it.
“I hear that workers’ salaries have not been increased as promised, so we also need to be considerate.
My family depends on my daily returns, and it hasn’t been easy to meet up. With the latest increase, I do not know what to do.
“This increment is affecting everything, foodstuffs have increased, even my landlord has increased his rent, and my children’s school fees too.
“I am begging our president to do something fast on the suffering of Nigerians, as it is not easy for a lot of us, please,” Sule said.
A Bolt and Uber driver, Wale Johnson, said that the harsh economic situation had increased due to the high cost of fuel.
He said there was no more profit in the business, as he had been operating at a loss just to sustain his livelihood.
“People are not requesting a ride; they prefer going to the bus stop. I think I will just go home and sleep because this will be very hard. Where are we going? The president needs to do something urgently.”
Mrs Uloma Boniface, a retired civil servant, also urged the government to expand its CNG project nationwide to increase the utilisation of CNG vehicles and crash transport fares.
She said that overdependence on PMS was literally making it a scarce product, adding that when CNG becomes common, with its affordability and nationwide infrastructure, PMS would no longer be expensive.
“I hear that PMS conversion to CNG is expensive; the government needs to make it affordable to all. I believe that with this, life will be a bit easier.
“I also urge the government to implement health insurance and other packages for retirees, as the hardship hits them harder.
“I am a widow, my children and I cannot feed, pay school fees or make other payments,” Boniface said.
A vegetable seller at Wuse market, Ibrahim Usman, said that the last goods supplied to him had increased by over N50,000, and that he was experiencing low patronage.
“I am so worried, vegetables are not the kind of goods you can keep for a long time, now people are not buying because the price is high, and I don’t blame them.
“If these goods perish, I will stop selling them because I borrowed money to pay for the additional payment. How did we get here?” he said.
However, an official of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) had attributed the recent increase and decrease in the price of petroleum products to market deregulation.
According to the official, the dynamics of demand and supply depended on market liberalisation.
“Once the market is liberalised, we cannot have control, nor have a price regime at any particular point in time, based on the influence, either inwardly or outwardly, especially on the crude oil prices and the exchange rates in Nigeria.
“So these are the factors that determine the price of production,” the official said.
