• Fueling of generators no longer an option in homes
• Commuters embrace trekking

By Steve Oko, Dickson Omobola, Ochuko Akuopha, Ibrahim Ogalah, Femi Bolaji, Chimobi Nwaiwu, Chinonso Alozie, Charly Agwam, Bashir Bello & Ozioruva Aliu

Two weeks after the Federal Government, through the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited, NNPCL, increased the pump price of petrol, Nigerians have embraced difficult survival strategies as the development has hiked an already exorbitant cost of living.

Virtually every socio-economic activity has been brought to a low ebb by the situation, which saw the price of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, as petrol is also known, rising from N630 to more than N1000 without prior notice.

Specifically, the cost of transportation and prices of goods and services have witnessed a sharp increase, thereby further depleting the purchasing power of the citizenry.

Across the country, people are not just lamenting, but also fearful of what the days ahead hold given that the rate of inflation has further increased with the fuel price hike.

Findings by Sunday Vanguard showed that the fear of further price increments has left a bewildered nation more troubled and fearful.

KANO: Car owners buy motorcycles

Disturbed by the skyrocketing petrol prices, car owners are beginning to abandon their vehicles as they resort to buying motorbikes. Some Kano residents, who spoke to Sunday Vanguard, said they cannot cope with the high cost of petrol hence their decision to seek alternative means of transportation. A resident, Mallam Tukur Bala, said before the latest price hike he was spending N90,000 monthly, but can no longer afford it since the price is now nearly twice the previous amount.

He said: “Since the removal of the fuel subsidy, I have been buying fuel at N3,000 per day and spending N90,000 monthly. With the recent increment, I spend N5,000 to buy fuel per day and N150,000 in a month. I decided to buy a motorbike. I only use my car when I am going on important occasions. I use my motorbike more. If not, how do I survive when I spend the little I earn on fuel? “

Another resident, Abdullahi Kano, said: “The recent unpredictable hike in the price of PMS prompted me to buy a motorcycle. The current fuel price is not sustainable for me. If I keep using my car daily to work, I will end up spending three times more than I earn.”

IMO:

In Imo State, the situation has adversely affected the cost of transportation and the living standard of the people. The development has made people resort to avoiding unnecessary travel outside the state.

Many private car owners have dropped their cars because they cannot afford the high cost of petrol. To make matters worse, fuel stations do not sell to those with jerry cans, thereby contributing to long queues at the stations. Also, artisans who rely on electricity for their businesses are now left with limited or no options.

The shortest trip in a tricycle which was N200, is now N500 and above. For example, from Onitsha to Nnewi has risen from N1500 to N1700,
Traveling from Onitsha to Owerri that was N2500 is now between N3200 and N3500. While from Onitsha to Nnewi that was between N4500 and N5000 is now between N7500 and N8000.

EDO: Residents groan

It is obvious residents of Edo State were taken unaware by the price hike.

Before the increase, petrol stations, apart from the NNPC retail outlets, were selling fuel between N691 and N980 in Benin City, the state capital, while it was a bit higher in other areas like Uromi, Auchi, Ekpoma, Igarra and others.

An indication that something was imminent emerged when many fuel stations were closed to customers and by the next morning, a queue surfaced at the NNPC Mega station, which was not selling until midday when the news came that NNPC had increased the price of fuel. The mega station in Sapele Road immediately increased its pump price to N881.

The closest to the new N885 was N1,020 while others sold for between N1,100 and N1,300.
The effect on transportation was instant as public vehicle drivers immediately increased their transport fare. Areas charging N400 immediately increased to N600, while some even doubled the amount.

A car owner and resident in Benin City, Cyril Bello, expressed his displeasure about the development.

He said: “It is a terrible situation and it is a case of government deceiving the people. For 24 hours, I was not able to sleep because I could not understand what was happening. Now, I have cancelled the usage of generator in my house. I have also decided that I won’t be driving to the office until my earnings improve. If I don’t take these measures, I won’t be able to take care of my family. “

DELTA: ‘It’s choking’

With petrol pump prices currently ranging from N1,000 to N1,100 in Asaba and some parts of Delta State to N1, 300 in other areas, tales of woes and anguish have continued to trail the attendant adverse socio-economic consequences.

Across the state, despair is pervasive as residents lament the increase in the cost of transportation, food items and services.

A transporter, Mr. Efe Onokurhefe, who shuttles between Asaba and Ughelli, said: “This whole thing is choking. It is not a thing of joy. For people to be able to buy food to feed their families is now a tug of war. Everybody is now looking up to God.”

A resident of Ughelli metropolis, Mr. Orerome Joel, described the situation as tense, saying petrol has gone beyond the reach of the common man.

He said: “Some of the fuel attendants are sleeping because that mad rush for fuel is no longer there. Before now, I was buying four litres in my motorcycle and generator, but since it has gone beyond the reach of the common man, I resorted to buying just two litres for 2,600. The cost of transportation has increased to 150 per cent as a drop from the Post Office roundabout that used to be 150 is now N300 to N400 on a tricycle.

“A Keke rider was complaining that he could not make any profit from the N8,000 fuel that he bought. This is not what we bargained for in this country. The prices of foodstuffs have skyrocketed as a basket of garri is now being sold for N4,500.

“Due to the high cost of maintenance, some transporters are now selling their vehicles. Even people driving SUVs now stop over on the expressways to pick passengers to be able to meet up with their expenses.”

Another transporter, who identified himself as Monday Isawhoeze from Ozoro, lamented the hike in fuel price across the country in the last few days, saying his business is crippled.

“Sadly, this scarcity is happening at the time Nigerians are dying because they are finding it difficult to feed and take care of their family needs since the removal of subsidy,’’ he said.

Juliet Akporero, a trader said: “The cost of transport fare imposed by the taxi and tricycle operators has increased by over 50 per cent, depending on bargaining power and the willingness of the operator to accept. A drop within Ozoro that was between N300 and N350 is now N500.”

ABIA: Drivers lament fuel

Commercial drivers in Abia State have complained bitterly over the economic hardship arising from the sudden increase in the price of petrol.

Some of them who spoke to Sunday Vanguard said they no longer cope with family daily expenses as their profit has drastically reduced.

Mr Arinze Okoro is a Sienna bus driver plying Umuahia – Ohafia route.

He said they charged N2500 per passenger before the fuel price hike, and increased the fare to N3000, but were forced to review it back to N2500 following low patronage and unwillingness of passengers to pay.

Okoro regretted that drivers now bear the brunt of the situation.

He said: “We are finished. We hardly go home with anything after the day’s hustling. We were charging N2500 before the fuel increase but we increased it to N3000. Then passengers started complaining. We had no choice but to return to the previous fare because we didn’t see passengers again.

“Now we pay higher for fuel but get less from passengers. Sometimes you go for one trip and come back the next day or two due to a lack of passengers. Things are truly hard for us.”

He called for an immediate reversal of the fuel price to save more Nigerians from death.

“Government should reverse the price of fuel. We don’t need palliatives any more. Let them reduce the price of fuel and everything will normalize.”

Another driver, who simply identified himself as Anthony, said he hardly makes a daily meal for his family.

The driver who plies Umuahia-Enugu route, said the increase in fuel pump price has impoverished drivers.

He said that apart from the increase in petrol price, extortion by security agents also worsened their ordeals.

“Our case is different. We are in hell. Apart from fuel prices, security agents at checkpoints are dealing with us.

“Between Umuahia and Enugu, we spend at least N3000 at checkpoints on every trip. If it’s the police, you pay N100; the Army is N200 while Road Safety is N300. If you calculate it, a driver spends no less than N3000 on every trip.”

Meanwhile, a trip from Umuahia to Owerri by Sienna car, which was previously N3000 is now N3500, while Umuahia to Enugu, which was N4000 before the hike, now goes for N4500.

Similarly, Umuahia to Arochukwu, which was initially N4000, now goes for N4500.

A woman, who prepares confectionery at Isigate area of Umuahia, complained of low patronage following the increase in cost of flour and other raw materials.

According to her, a bag of 50 kg flour which previously sold for N60000, now sells for N65,000.
“We were buying a crate of egg for N3700, but now, it is N4500. 12 kg of gas that we bought N12000 now sells for N15000, and it has affected the price we sell.”

TARABA: It’s a hardship for residents

Residents of Taraba State joined in condemning the exorbitant petrol prices resulting from the recent price hike. Prices at local filling stations across the state range from N1100 to N1200 while black marketers sell higher.

The worrisome situation at the time of this report was the unavailability of fuel, which has forced most tricycle operators to turn to black marketers.

A check around Jalingo, the state capital, and adjoining local government areas indicates that most private marketers of the product were shut down.

This trend has also put additional strain on commercial and private vehicle and tricycle owners. A tricycle operator, who simply identified himself as Adamu, said he was fortunate to get fuel for N1200.

“We are worse off now. I was just lucky to get fuel for N1200. I don’t even know how I will even make ends meet. I am forced to also increase the cost of fares. As we speak, there is no fare for N50 again. Our passengers are also complaining.”

A father of four and farmer, Daniel Tede, who spoke to Sunday Vanguard, said he is struggling to go for supervision of his farm.

“My farm is in Gashaka. The cost of transportation to that place now is beyond what I can afford to take my wife and two elderly kids.”

ANAMBRA: Inter-state transportation, food items worse affected

To say that the recent hike in fuel price has not adversely affected the already high cost of transportation and high cost of living in Anambra State is an understatement.

The state’s two industrial and commercial hubs, Nnewi and Onitsha, are not left out. People have now resorted to less travelling within and outside Onitsha, Nnewi and other places. Many private car owners are abandoning their cars because they cannot afford fuel.

The ban on jerry cans has made things more difficult for car owners and artisans, given that they find it difficult to get fuel for their vehicles and generators.

Findings show that the shortest trip in a tricycle, which was N200, is now N500 and above.
For someone travelling from Onitsha to Nnewi, who was paying N1000, the fare is now between N1500 and N2000.

Onitsha to Owerri which used to be N2500 in major Mass Transport Company vehicles is now N3500. Onitsha to Enugu which was between N4500 and N5000 now goes for N8000.

According to a resident of Onitsha, Mrs Nneka Nwador, a mother of four, “a paint can of garri that sold at N3600 is now between N4500 and N5000 in some markets while meat is very expensive.”

BAYELSA: Private car owners abandon vehicles at home

In Bayelsa, residents have decried the hike, with many describing it as the height of insensitivity to the plight of the suffering masses.

They noted that their problems have been compounded by the high cost of transportation and goods and services.

Some residents, who spoke with Sunday Vanguard, said they have adopted belt-tightening measures to make ends meet. Most private car owners are now leaving their cars at home and taking commercial transportation to their destination, while others are trekking distances to cut short their expenses.

Transporters have adjusted fares on the various routes to reflect the current realities. Edepie roundabout to Ekeki, which was N200, is now N350 while the state secretariat complex at Ovom is now N500 as against N350.

Edepie to Imiringi now goes for N700 as against the N500 and N600 they were initially collecting.

“The recent increase in the pump price of premium motor spirit is the height of insensitivity by the federal government and its agency, the NNPCL, at a time Nigerians are undergoing excruciating pains as a result of the current hardship in the country with many families struggling to survive only to further compound their woes,” lamented, Chinedu John, a spare parts dealer in Yenagoa.

A civil servant, who spoke anonymously, noted that while salaries and wages remain stagnant, government keeps increasing the price of fuel at the detriment of the suffering masses.

“I have no choice but to start taking the free civil servant buses plying the Yenagoa-Gbarain axis which is my route as part of my cost-saving measures in the wake of the renewed hardship caused by the sudden hike in the cost of fuel across the country,” the father of six told Sunday Vanguard.
The Bayelsa situation is more pathetic as the entire state is currently grappling with another bout of darkness following the destruction of about thirteen 132 kV Towers of the Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, that supply electricity to the state from Owerri in Imo State through Ahoada in Rivers State.

This is besides the two transmission towers, T98 and T99 that were reportedly tampered with earlier at Igbogene in the outskirts of Yenagoa the Bayelsa State capital by suspected vandals, plunging the state in darkness before vandals again struck around the Ahoada axis of Rivers State, leaving Bayelsa in darkness for more than two months.

RIVERS: Unpopular policies

In Rivers State, Mr. Willie Edet, a 59 year- old unionist, said he has been working for the past eight years at the Amadi-Ama roundabout loading park with excitement and zest. Married with four kids, Edet confessed that the supervising job at the park has been a mixture of “good and bad.”

He told Sunday Vanguard that immediately after the removal of the fuel subsidy by President Bola Tinubu in 2023, things became difficult for him.

“It is very difficult to feed my family. My wife is not working and it is very difficult to pay the kids’ school fees, feed them and pay my house rent with the little income accrued from the park business, “ he said.

Edet described the present economic policies as “anti-masses, especially to the poor.” He called for an immediate reversal of unpopular policies by government to strengthen the economy. “

Bright Daniel, a mother of three, said a plate of food was about N1000 before, adding that “with the present economic reality, we have to increase the price to N1,500 to meet up. It is not our fault. We have to remain in business.”

On his part, Monday Etim, 43, who has been a taxi driver for 16 years, added: “Sometimes you come out to work, but you don’t see passengers on the road. People now prefer to trek to work or wherever they want to go. How do I feed my three children and my wife under this type of economy? “
Across the city of Port Harcourt, transport fares have skyrocketed with some operators charging as much as 100 percent higher than previous prices.

LAGOS: Lamentations

In the nation’s commercial city, residents appear to rank among the worst hit given the high cost of living.

Before the latest increment, prices of goods and services had already become astronomical as many struggled to survive.

With the new hike, prices of food items, transportation and others have been witnessing an increase.

While petrol is difficult to come by, transport fares have doubled its previous price.
Sunday Vanguard discovered that most people have curtailed their movement across the city owing to the high cost of transportation.

On the roads, it’s now difficult to see traffic gridlock given that some now leave their vehicles at home for public transportation.

In residential areas, the usage of generators has become a luxury that only a few can afford.
Apart from these, socio-economic activities in the state have also witnessed a sharp decrease as people are now more concerned about survival before anything else.

A resident of the state, George said: “I have resolved to use my vehicle on Mondays and Sundays. Anything outside that, I do not have the capacity. How much do I earn? To fill my tank, I will spend about N80, 000. How do I get the money weekly? I am really scared about the situation.”

A petty trader, Titilayo Opeoluwani, told Sunday Vanguard: “Who did we offend? How can we continue like this? I don’t think I will continue with my business because I no longer make sales as I used to.”