This is not the first time Nigeria is experiencing nationwide fuel scarcity, but what is perhaps the greatest concern of most citizens is the hardship that is always associated with these crippling petrol shortages. Also worrying to many is the apparent lack of a sense of urgency on the part of the authorities to deal with the vexing issue and the attendant hardship people are subjected to.
Small businesses and public transporters say they are the most affected by the fuel scarcity, because it always has an immediate impact on them and in most cases, forces them to increase the cost of goods and services.
A market surveys in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja revealed that there were price increases on virtually every food item with likely further increases if the scarcity persists.
Mrs. Iyabo Yunusa sells fresh eggs in one of the markets in, where a lot of middle income earners in the FCT reside. She said lack of petrol has increased the cost of business such that it costs her much more now to buy and transport the commodity to the market.
She said a crate of eggs now goes for between N900 and N1,000 compared to N800-850 before the weeks-long fuel crisis.
“The government has neglected the poor by allowing the only sensitive commodity that affects our lives to continue to be a problem,” Iyabo says.
“Look at the way we suffer to buy and transport our goods. We do all these things to survive and support our children, especially now that school fees are going up. What do they (government) expect us to do and survive if they cannot make sure that this (petrol) problem is solved,” she laments.
The petty trader saidthe authorities concerned should make it a priority to ensure that petrol is available at all times so that people are not subjected to so much difficulty.
Abdulazeez Lawal, whose grocery shop is not far from Iyabo’s eggs stand, says the government has “abandoned us”, because the cost of every item he sells – tomatoes, pepper, onions – has climbed as a result of the sharp rise in the cost of transport.
“They have increased the price of everything with this petrol shortage. Where we used to transport our goods for N2, 000, we are now charged N2, 500. So you see we have to cover these losses,” he explains.
Abdulazeez adds that it will take a while for the price of commodities to stabilise or go down if the scarcity ends and the price of petrol returns to normal.
Aisha Hassan, a dealer in food items, says the major problem is that the government has failed to increase the salaries of workers which is why shortages in petrol always hit hard on ordinary citizens.
“There is no money everywhere because government does not want to increase salaries; that is why the scarcityand high cost of petrol is affecting us. If there is money, we would not be crying that we are paying so much to buy petrol and other things,” Aisha notes.
She thinks that the government should consider an upward review of the salaries of public workers so that they (businessmen and women) can also benefit from it.
A public transporter, Musa Isiaka, says almost all transporters have hiked their fares because of the difficulty in buying fuel and the high price at which the commodity is being sold.
“Transport fare has gone up because of this fuel scarcity. Everywhere you go, there are long queues and that is not the only problem, we now buy a litre of fuel at between N150-200,” the transporter explains.
“Many people are buying from black marketers because of the long queues, so instead of spending the entire day at the filling stations, we just buy from the black market, continue our business and charge the money on the customers. That is the only way we can make it,” he says.
“We hope that this scarcity will not be so bad that we transporters will have to go on strike in protest to its negative effects on our lives,” he adds.
An Okada (motorbike) operator, ShittuYakubu, said the cost of living is biting harder by the day as the fuel scarcity holds sway.
“For God’s sake, how can we say we have a government that despite our efforts to be useful in the society, they do little to support us and expect us to stay patriotic?” Shittu asks rhetorically.
Almost in tears, he says: “look at me very well, I am a strong youth who went to school and because there is nothing for me to do, I have taken to doing Okada business to support myself. I know that jobs are difficult to come by.
“I don’t have much to say except that the suffering we are going through is too much. I used to buy N300 fuel in a day and make N1, 200 but now I buy N800 – N1, 000 worth of petrol and still cannot make enough gain to feed myself, talk more of settle the owner of the bike because I am hiring it and making a payment of N700 daily.”
Others like Prince Chukwuobike think the government has failed its people by not making some of the basic necessities available to them despite being acclaimed as Africa’s largest oil producing country.
“We are not going to beg our government to give us what is ours; we are demanding that they make petrol availability and stop this unnecessary hardship that people are going through,” Prince states. “How can the son of a rich man say he is poor?”
He adds: “We have oil in Nigeria therefore it is expected that we should not be experiencing fuel scarcity but the reverse is the case.It is so sad that our leaders don’t bother much about this because it is only affecting us the poor. They and their children do not know how hard it is to eat three meals a day, pay school fees, accommodation and transportation.”
