Nigerians berate Organised Labour over silence on prolonged petrol scarcity

Several Nigerians have berated the various segments of the Organised Labour in the country over their silence on the prolonged petrol scarcity and the hardship across the country. National Daily investigation showed that more importantly, Nigerians are expressing perturbation that while petrol prices have increased to N320 to N350 per litre at different locations in Lagos, for instance, the product is still not available for sales. There are still long queues at various petrol stations.

National Daily visited petrol stations in certain parts of Lagos State for on-the-spot assessment of the situation, and the fining was that the situation is getting worse rather than improving as the pump price of petrol has been increased. One strategy that National Daily observed the petrol dealers had adopted is that petrol stations that are located adjacent to each other, some opposite to the other, seldom sell their products at the same time.  One station is often shut down for the other to sell for a period of the day. Then the selling station shuts down for the other to resume. The consequence has been perennial long queues at both petrol stations on each occasion of sales.

Some car owners who spoke to National Daily expressed disappointment that at such hard time of petrol scarcity, the Organised Labour – the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), etc – have not been noticed to speak out on the scarcity crisis in the country.

Speaking to National Daily at Allen, Ikeja, a businessman, Tajudeen, complained of long hours of waiting to buy petrol at the Total station on Toyin street, complaining that the queue had stretched from Toyin into Allen Avenue in Ikeja metropolis. Tajudeen questioned the existence of the Organised Labour in Nigeria at a time like this. He decried that the NLC, TUC and others have abandoned Nigerians in the period of hardship.

Several commercial bus drivers at different locations, from Maryland to Ojodu Berger, Ojota, Ogba, Agege, Oba Akran, also complained of their bitter experiences in buying petrol in recent times. Some drivers said that beside the high price which has gradually risen from N250, N279 per litre to N320, N340 per litre, they spend long hours on the queue before buying petrol.

One of the driver who identified himself as Ben, said that most of the drivers had to leave their homes to the petrol stations as early as 03.00 hours at night to join the queue so as to be among the people that would buy petrol in the morning to work in the day. He said that in the black market, petrol sells at N450 and above per litre.

Ben said that to make up for the cost and the time wasted, drivers have no option than to increase the cost of transportation in the city. He noted that the final burden is always on the passengers. Ben, then questioned: “where is the NLC, ASUU, TUC. Are they only existing to ask for salary increase of workers?

As at Monday, transport fares from Ikeja to its environs like Ogba, Agege, increased to N400, some N300, while in the past the fare was N150 per trip.

In other locations, distances that cost N100 have gone up to N200, some N250.

National Daily further observed that the situation is being worsened by the hectic traffic congestion in the city, making workers and business people spend more hours on the road while going home.