Nigerians have adopted tough survival tactics, as a result of the rise in cost of petrol. The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL), raised the price of the commodity further pushing astronomically high the cost of living.
In the last one month, the price of Premium Motor Spirit, or PMS, unexpectedly rose from ₦630 to more than ₦1000. This rise pushed every socio-economic activity to a low ebb.
Specifically, the cost of transportation and prices of goods and services in Nigeria witnessed a sharp increase. This further depleted the purchasing power of many Nigerians.
Across the country, people are not just lamenting, but also fearful of what the days ahead hold.
Sadly, the rate of inflation has been on the increase since President Bola Tinubu took over officer in May 2023.
Car Owners Buy Motorcycles
Disturbed by the skyrocketing petrol prices, car owners are beginning to abandon their vehicles as they resort to buying motorbikes.
Some Kano residents said they could not cope with the high cost of petrol, hence their decision to seek alternative means of transportation.
A resident, Mallam Tukur Bala, said before the latest price hike he was spending ₦90,000 monthly.
However, he can no longer afford it since the price is now nearly twice the previous amount.
He said: “Since the removal of the fuel subsidy, I have been buying fuel at ₦3,000 per day and spending ₦90,000 monthly.
“With the recent increment, I spend ₦5,000 to buy fuel per day and ₦150,000 in a month.
“I decided to buy a motorbike.
“I only use my car when I am going on important occasions.
“Also, I use my motorbike more.
“If not, how do I survive when I spend the little I earn on fuel?”.
Another resident, Abdullahi Kano, said: “The recent unpredictable hike in the price of PMS prompted me to buy a motorcycle.
“The current fuel price is not sustainable for me.
“If I keep using my car daily to work, I will end up spending three times more than I earn”.
EDO: Residents Groan
It is obvious residents of Edo State were taken unaware by the price hike.
Before the increase, petrol stations, apart from the NNPC retail outlets, were selling fuel between ₦691 and ₦980 in Benin City, the state capital, while it was a bit higher in other areas like Uromi, Auchi, Ekpoma, Igarra and others.
An indication that something was imminent emerged when many fuel stations were closed to customers and by the next morning, a queue surfaced at the NNPC Mega station, which was not selling until midday when the news came that NNPC had increased the price of fuel.
The mega station in Sapele Road immediately increased its pump price to N881.
The closest to the new ₦885 was ₦1,020 while others sold for between ₦1,100 and ₦1,300.
The effect on transportation was instant, as public vehicle drivers immediately increased their transport fare.
Areas charging N400 immediately increased to N600, while some even doubled the amount.
A car owner and resident in Benin City, expressed his displeasure about the development.
He said: “It is a terrible situation, and it is a case of government deceiving the people.
“For 24 hours, I was not able to sleep because I could not understand what was happening.
“Now, I have cancelled the usage of generator in my house.
“I have also decided that I won’t be driving to the office until my earnings improve.
“If I don’t take these measures, I won’t be able to take care of my family”.
BAYELSA: Private Car Owners Abandon Vehicles At Home
In Bayelsa, residents have decried the hike, with many seeing it as the height of insensitivity to the plight of the suffering masses.
They noted that their problems had been compounded by the high cost of transportation and goods and services.
Some residents, who spoke with Sunday Vanguard, said they had adopted belt-tightening measures to make ends meet.
Most private car owners are now leaving their cars at home and taking commercial transportation to their destination, while others are trekking distances to cut short their expenses.
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Transporters have adjusted fares on the various routes to reflect the current realities. Edepie roundabout to Ekeki, which was ₦200, is now ₦350 while the state secretariat complex at Ovom is now ₦500 as against ₦350.
Edepie to Imiringi now goes for ₦700 as against the ₦500 and ₦600 they were initially collecting.
Pain
“The recent increase in the pump price of premium motor spirit is the height of insensitivity by the federal government and its agency, the NNPCL, at a time Nigerians are undergoing excruciating pains as a result of the current hardship in the country with many families struggling to survive only to further compound their woes,” lamented, Chinedu John, a spare parts dealer in Yenagoa.
A civil servant, who spoke anonymously, noted that while salaries and wages remain stagnant, government keeps increasing the price of fuel at the detriment of the suffering masses.
“I have no choice but to start taking the free civil servant buses plying the Yenagoa-Gbarain axis which is my route as part of my cost-saving measures in the wake of the renewed hardship caused by the sudden hike in the cost of fuel across the country.”
The Bayelsa situation is more pathetic as the entire state is currently grappling with another bout of darkness following the destruction of about thirteen 132 kV Towers of the Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, that supply electricity to the state from Owerri in Imo State through Ahoada in Rivers State.
This is besides the two transmission towers, T98 and T99 that were reportedly tampered with earlier at Igbogene in the outskirts of Yenagoa the Bayelsa State capital by suspected vandals, plunging the state in darkness before vandals again struck around the Ahoada axis of Rivers State, leaving Bayelsa in darkness for more than two months.
LAGOS: Lamentations
In the nation’s commercial city, residents appear to rank among the worst hit given the high cost of living.
Before the latest increment, prices of goods and services had already become astronomical, as many struggled to survive.
With the new hike, prices of food items, transportation and others have been witnessing an increase.
While petrol is difficult to come by, transport fares have doubled its previous price.
There are discoveries that most people have curtailed their movement across the city owing to the high cost of transportation.
On the roads, it’s now difficult to see traffic gridlock given that some now leave their vehicles at home for public transportation.
In residential areas, the usage of generators has become a luxury that only a few can afford.
Apart from these, socio-economic activities in the state have also witnessed a sharp decrease as people are now more concerned about survival before anything else.
Read more: #Fuel: Why Price Of Bicycle Could Go UP In Nigeria
A resident of the state, George said: “I have resolved to use my vehicle on Mondays and Sundays.
“Anything outside that, I do not have the capacity.
“How much do I earn? To fill my tank, I will spend about ₦80,000.
“How do I get the money weekly?
“I am really scared about the situation”.
A petty trader, Titilayo Opeoluwani, said: “Who did we offend?
“How can we continue like this?
“I don’t think I will continue with my business because I no longer make sales as I used to”.
However, the high fuel price has humbled buyers in Nigeria, a lot of people even prefer to join public transport these days, rather than drive their own cars.
Negative Impact Of Petrol Price Hike On Nigerians | Vox Pop
