… Commuters stranded in Abuja
… NNPCL sells fuel at N855 per litre
…Tricycle operators stage protest
…..petrol hits N1,200 in Kano
……Sold for N1,350 in Jigawa
…..FG tricked Us – NLC
Some traders and commuters in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have frowned at the increase in the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) by the NNPC Ltd.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the NNPC Ltd. Retail Management approved the upward review of PMS pump price from N617 per litre to N897 per litre effective from Sept. 3.
The commuters and traders, who spoke to NAN in Abuja on Tuesday, said the development would increase food prices which was gradually crashing and also the sufferings of the masses.
Mr Ignatius Ugwu, a civil servant, said the fuel pump price increase would further reduce the purchasing power of workers.
He said the increase would hike transportation fares which would make it difficult for workers to resume work promptly and be productive.
Ugwu appealed to the Federal Government to pay workers’ minimum wage and introduce other palliatives that would help cushion the effect of the increase on the masses.
”This information is very scary for a country like ours where people are struggling to eat even one good meal a day.
”This increase will make transport fare and other prices of goods and services to go up.
”The government should have been magnanimous enough to put some things in place before this increase.
”They should have paid minimum wage and other arrears, they should have brought out buses to help the masses because whether we like it or not, prices of things will go up, ” he said.
Mrs Antonia Ogbede, a housewife, said the increase would automatically hike food prices which was gradually coming down.
Ogbede said that traders would take the advantage of the fuel increase to also increase the prices of their goods.
She said the spending burden would increase on her spouse who was the sole breadwinner of the family.
”I went to the market today and I saw some traders discussing about the fuel increase.
”I heard one of them making call for some goods to be delivered to him by the company he buys from and they told him that the price will increase by the end of the week.
”The trader ordered 100 cartons and he said he will sell them at increased price.
”The government should please help us before our breadwinners will develop sicknesses as a result of too much spending,” she said.
Mrs Evelyn Otapu appealed to the Federal Government to consider its citizens first before some policies formulation.
However, Mr Andy Kolapo, a driver, said that the increase would make the fuel queues to disappear.
”We heard that they (NNPCL) has been planning to increase the price of fuel to N1,000 per litre and this they have achieved.
”We hope that this will bring to an end the recurring queues in fuel stations,” he said.
NAN reports that independent marketers were selling between N1,000 and N1,200 per litre.
Commuters stranded in Abuja over fares hike as NNPCL sells fuel at N855 per litre
Meanwhile, many commuters in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, were on Tuesday stranded at various bus stops due to the sudden increase in transport fares.
The development came a few hours after the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation Limited, NNPCL increased its pump price to N855 per litre.
Some of the commuters told NAN that the fares they paid while leaving their homes for work in the morning doubled in the afternoon, leaving them stranded.
The commuters, who expressed frustration at the development, called for immediate government intervention in the interest of poor Nigerians.
Miss Amina Yusuf, a clerk, said: “I paid N1,000 from my house in Gudu to Garki where I work, only to leave work now and realise the fare was almost doubled.
“I was standing at the Phototech junction with several commuters who did not have enough money to board a vehicle until I saw a colleague who bailed me out.”
Another commuter, Mr Kingsley Okoye, expressed his grievances, noting that the fare hikes had burdened his finances.
Okoye said: “I left the house with very little cash, which I assumed would get me to work, only to realise that the fares had increased.
“Instead of N250 from Apo to Gudu, I was charged N400. I had to look for where to make a withdrawal and get more cash so I would not get stranded at work.
“This situation is not fair at all. The government is not looking at the suffering of Nigerians; they are only concerned with their policies and regulations, which do not favour us.”
Mrs Jennifer Fabian said she used to spend N200 to get from Nyanya to the city centre until the pump price increased to N670 and the fare hiked to N600.
She said that with the sudden increase in fuel prices, the cost of transport increased further to N1, 200, which was very high compared to her income.
Fabians said: “this increase will definitely trickle down to affect virtually everything in the economy, especially the cost of food, which is already high.
“President Bola Tinubu should do something about this because we Nigerians are suffering.
“Since the day Tinubu removed subsidy, the economy has not remained the same. People are already losing their lives due to frustration, and it will worsen unless something is done urgently.”
Similarly, Mr Ahmed Musa, a trader at the Wuse Market, shared his frustration, saying, “I have to take two different buses just to get to the market every morning.
“What used to cost me N300, now costs N600, which is just one way. With how things are going, I might have to consider closing my shop earlier than usual to save on transport costs.
“The timing is terrible because schools are about to resume, and parents are struggling to pay school fees.
“Now we will also worry about how the children will be transported to school and back every day. The government needs to look into this urgently,” Musa said
Tricycle operators stage protest as petrol hits N1,200 in Kano
…Sold for N1,350 in Jigawa
Hundreds of tricycle operators on Tuesday took to the street to stage a protest against the increment of petroleum prices in the state.
This was coming as the price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) otherwise known as petrol has been jerked up to as high as N1,200 across some filling stations as the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) outlets adjusted pump price to N904 per litre in the state.
The protest by tricycle operators who gathered around the Dangi bridge in Kano prevented the free flow of vehicles around the area for some hours.
A tricyclist, Abdulazeez Ibrahim, said, “I can recall when I used to buy petrol for N95. One day during the late President Shehu Musa Yar’adua’s regime, we went to buy fuel and they halted the process.
“We all thought it was going to be increased but they adjusted the litre to N65. It was something that I would never forget in my life. When things go up, they never come down in Nigeria and since then it has been like that.
“Where are we heading to in this country? How do we survive now? Unfortunately, we are witnessing this in this country,” Ibrahim said.
Residents were seen stranded as most of the tricycle operators deserted the road to join long queues while other passengers complain about the price hike.
A passenger, Ramatu Aminu who managed to board the tricycle lamented over the hike in transport fare.
She said, “I usually board a tricycle from Gyadi-Gyadi to Hotoro junction between N150 or N200 before but today the tricycle charged me N300. The price is high and the tricycle operator attributed it to the petrol hike. In fact, a lot of passengers were stranded on the road as there were no tricycles plying the road,” Aminu stated.
…petrol hits N1,350 in Jigawa
The situation is not different in Jigawa State as petrol price has been jerked up to as high as N1,350 in Dutse, Jigawa State.
A motorist in Dutse, Aliyu Katsina said he bought the fuel at N1,150 per litre only to be told the price has increased to N1,350.
“I bought the fuel for N1,150 this morning but my colleague who went to the same filing station in the afternoon told me he got the fuel for N1,350. That was an increment of N300. It is unfortunate,” Katsina stated.
How Tinubu tricked us – NLC
The leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) says President Bola Tinubu has betrayed the movement, and by extension all Nigerians with the fresh hike in petrol price and its scarcity across the country.
Joe Ajaero, President of NLC, who stated this on Tuesday in reaction to the ongoing confusion regarding price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) popularly known as petrol described the situation as “traumatic and nightmarish”.
The labour leader recalled that Tinubu had told both NLC and TUC leadership during the negotiation of minimum wage to pick between N250,000 and increase in price of fuel or accept N70,000 and allow the price of fuel remain the same.
Ajaero, who further lampooned the government for the the situation said instead of ensuring the promised reversal, the rate has since been jacked up further, adding that it is already putting more Nigerians and businesses in jeopardy.
He said, “We recall vividly when Mr President gave us the devil’s alternatives to choose from: either N250,000 as minimum wage (subject to the rise of the pump price between N1,500 and N2,000) and N70,000 (at old pms rates), we opted for the latter because we could not bring ourselves to accept further punishment on Nigerians.
“But here we are, barely one month after and with government yet to commence payment of the new national minimum wage, confronted by a reality we cannot explain. It is both traumatic and nightmarish.
“Yet, when we told government that it’s approach to resolving the fuel subsidy contradictions was patently faulty and would not last, it’s front row cheer leaders sneered at us, saying we did not understand basic economics.
“But if truth be told, this act of betrayal is consistent with the character of this government. We recall the assurances we were given by the leadership of the National Assembly on the 250% tariff hike, that it had been dealt with and there was no need to openly engage the Minister of Power who was at that meeting.
“Instead of the promised reversal, the rate has since been jerked up further putting more Nigerians and businesses in jeopardy. The combined effects of government’s ferocious right -wing market policies brought Nigerians and Nigeria to their all-time low and led to the End-Hunger/End Bad Governance protests.”
