Motorists lament as petrol scarcity persists despite increase in pump price

Motorists in the Federal Capital Territory Territory (FCT) have continued to lament the persistence of petrol scarcity despite the increase in pump price.

The motorists on Tuesday in Abuja decried that the situation was frustrating and causing them severe hardship.

The hardship started with the removal of the fuel subsidy and was intensified by the continuous  increase in the fuel pump price thereafter.

NNPC Retail Management approved upward review of the pump price from N617 per litre to N897 llitre, effective from Sept. 3.

This is amid economic hardship and persistent fuel scarcity.

The independent marketers also adjusted their pumps as they are now selling between N930 and N1,200.

As if the situation was not bad enough, the NNPCL effected another increase in the pump price of petrol from N987 to N1, 030.

The increment was the second within a month.

There had been scarcity of petrol in the FCT in the past four months.

Even after the announcement of  hike in price, queues at the few filling stations dispensing the product had gotten longer.

The motorists, in media interaction, expressed sadness about the persistent petrol scarcity, adding that Nigerians were yet to recover from the removal of fuel subsidy, now, they are faced with fuel hike.

This, according, to them, will no doubt increase the suffering of Nigerians and would also affect the prices of food items which were beginning to drop.

They also said that the development had led to the increase in transportation fares.

Iliya Baba, a businessman, said he spent more than four hours on the queue to buy fuel in spite of the high cost of the product.

“Everything in this country now is stressful, with my hard-earned money, I cannot buy fuel without suffering.

“I don’t know where we are heading in this country; the government should bring back the subsidy because the poor are suffering, and some are dying.

“The hardship will encourage crime and make the environment unsafe,” Baba said.

Mustapha Ali, a taxi driver, said that the fuel situation had become complicated with the high cost of fuel and its scarcity.

“I run at a loss now; this is because I buy fuel at a high cost and still spend hours on the queue, how do I balance this?

“My family depends on my daily returns, and it has not been easy meeting up I do not know what to do.

“I am begging our president to do something fast about the suffering Nigerians are passing through as a result of this fuel issue, as it is not easy for a lot of us, please,” Ali said.

A retiree, Mrs Stella Uzor, said the increase in fuel had led to an increase in transportation costs, which had led to an increase in prices of food items and school fees, among other things.

“I can no longer afford to feed my family members due to strained budgets. Yes, the minimum wage was increased, but it is nothing to write home about. It cannot still meet my needs because everything have gone up.

“Even as at that, the minimum wage is yet to be paid to workers

“The transportation within Abuja has increased, which makes movement very difficult. Foodstuff has increased so badly that we only feed once a day,” Uzor lamented.

She urged the government to tackle the fuel issue in the country and make policies that would be favourable to the citizens.

However, Ukadike Chinedu, the Publicity Secretary of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), in a media interaction, said that the scarcity of fuel would soon be over.

Chinedu said that the shifting of the supply chain was the cause of the scarcity in the country, adding that in a few weeks, the product would be available.

NAN