3rd January, 2012
Motorists in Abuja Monday decried the hike in fuel price following federal government’s removal of subsidy on the product.
A News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) correspondent who went round filling stations reports that an increase in the price of fuel had emerged late on Sunday in Abuja.
A litre of fuel which sold for N65 as at Sunday midday was being sold at between N140 and N145, representing an increase of more than 100 percent.
NAN reports that the price hike was due to the fuel subsidy removal announcement by the Executive Secretary of the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA), Reginald Stanley, on Sunday.
The announcement had created panic at most filling stations as motorists queued up to get fuel while the fuel attendants struggled to change the fuel pump price.
As at Sunday evening, most of the filling stations had adjusted their meters to N140 per litre while the NNPC Mega-Station sold fuel at N138 per litre.
A Senior Supervisor at the mega-station, who pleaded for anonymity, said he and his colleagues were equally surprised at the development.
He said this development had seen NNPC officials arriving immediately after the announcement to effect the change.
For motorists, however, it was beyond being surprised, as they rose in unison to condemn the price hike which followed the announcement.
Sunday Moses, a bus driver, condemned the increase and urged the federal government to immediately reverse the policy in the interest of the masses.
“This is very sad, I don’t even know what to do now. Government should please help we the poor people, we cannot cope with this new price,†he said.
Jonah Ediba, a cab driver, also frowned at what he called government’s insensitivity to the plight of Nigerians.
“This government wants to kill us in this country. How can it just increase the price like that? I think those in government just want to make the poor suffer, because it is only the poor that cannot afford this,†he said.
Ediba said that taxi and bus drivers would be left with no alternative than to increase transport fares since that was the only way they could remain in business.
On his part, Bimbo Adesegun, a civil servant, called on government to ensure the availability of the product.
He also advised that proceeds from the subsidy were used to provide concrete infrastructure development.
“I think the policy is a bit harsh. But it’s okay if government will actually use the money to create social amenities and infrastructure development,†Adesegun said.
He called on President Goodluck Jonathan to do more to earn the trust of Nigerians in the implementation of his policies.
NAN reports that the fuel price hike had resulted in long queues at the filling stations as most of them claimed not to have the product.