Due to the scarcity of fuel, long lines at various petrol stations have become a persistent problem in most states.
Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria-affiliated oil marketers hinted at issues in the downstream industry and asserted that the current shortage would persist until the government took a firm stance on subsidy elimination, complete deregulation, and price determination.
The marketers had also denied the Federal Government’s assertion that the fuel price at the pump had not increased. Petrol imports into the nation are exclusively controlled by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited.
However, consumers turned to black market vendors who offered fuel for between N200 and N250 per litre as opposed to the authorized pump price of N165.
Subsidy payments with enormous amounts that are corrupt and unaccountable are one of the issues in the oil industry.
When our correspondent visited the town to talk to commuters and drivers, he or she observed that the situation was getting intolerable. Richard Ijie, a commercial bus driver who travels from Agege Underbridge to Alausa in Lagos State, lamented that the lack of fuel had made driving challenging for them because they were having trouble getting fuel for their buses.
He claimed that the current state of affairs had compelled them to raise transportation costs from the initial N150 to N200, and he added that the change had been met with opposition from passengers.
“I drive a tricycle from Agege underbridge to Acme road. Before we charged N100 but now we charge N200 and we also charge N300 during rushing hours. As for me , I know that going to filling stations to buy fuel will affect my work because I will have to stay in the queue for hours so what I do is that when any of my colleagues here is about to go on a hunt for fuel, I will send him to get it for me too. We are facing a lot this time around because of this fuel issue. I start work by 6:30am every day to beat my other colleagues who are always not out yet at that time so that I can get more passengers and earn more otherwise I’ll have to stay in the queue for a long time before it reaches my turn when everyone is out.”
Oluwaseun stated,
A minibus operator, Jimoh Rafiu said before the scarcity of fuel, he used to charge N300 from Agege to Sango-tollgate but after a consensus was reached by the drivers the amount was changed to N400, while passengers had to pay N500 in the evening.
“I drive a minibus and I ply Sango-Tollgate to Agege. I used to charge N300 from Sango to Agege but I now charge N400 in the morning for each passenger. Starting from 4pm, we always ask passengers to pay N500 to Agege. This is where we find ourselves. Despite the amount we added on the fares, the profit we make on a daily basis is not comparable to the previous ones.”
“You cannot expect us to buy petrol at a frustrating amount and still charge the same transport fares. Everybody is complaining and the prices of food items are also increasing. Everything in this country is affected by the fuel scarcity and there is nothing we can do about it unless our government is ready to find a lasting solution to it,”
He said,
