Nigerians were taken aback earlier this week by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) announcement of a new petrol pump price.
The NNPCL increased its retail price from N617 to N857 per litre on Tuesday, a development that has worsened the suffering and hardship in the country.
Petrol queues across the country, especially in Abuja, have lasted over two months now, but the situation has now worsened amid the present pump price increase, with only few filling stations dispensing the product.
Meanwhile, there are also concerns that even with the high price of the commodity, the meters are being adjusted by the filling stations, including the government-owned ventures, thereby short-changing the people.
This comes just as the NNPCL management admitted that it was facing a debt challenge to the tune of $6billion from its supply chain abroad.
The pump prices had varied since the May 29, 2023 removal of subsidy by the Nigerian government. While the NNPCL had retained its fuel price at N617 per litre while other retailers sold at different higher prices.
The company, through a statement by its Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Olufemi Soneye, had subtly confirmed that the debt was the cause of fuel queues springing up in filling stations across the country, lamenting that it is impacting supply sustainability.
There were speculations that the national oil company began struggling to meet fuel supply demands.
Even at that, the Federal Government had consistently debunked claims that it was still subsidizing petroleum products.
The latest development is having a ripple effect on the masses, with private retailers selling at N900 and above. The queues have also refused to clear up.
Meanwhile, DAILY POST reports that the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, has demanded an “immediate reversal” of the pump price of petrol across the country.
The union claimed they felt betrayed by President Bola Tinubu, after the NNPC, increased the official price of fuel from N617 to N897 per litre which has seriously affected the new minimum wage agreement it reached with the President Tinubu administration
In the same vein, the Network Against Corruption and Trafficking (NACAT) has kicked against the increase and demanded an end to what it described as the imposition of toxic economic hardships by the current administration.
DAILY POST spoke to some Nigerians on the streets of Abuja and it was nothing but an expression of agony and disappointment.
“It is a terrible situation we’ve found ourselves in this country. No wonder people are running away to other countries, even the ones poorer than Nigeria.
“This morning, I paid N500 from Lugbe to Berger [which used to be N100] and as I’m returning home this evening [the same day], it has increased to N700, some are even charging N800.
“I’m a businessman. I sell shoes at Utako Market and I must go to my shop every day. Now how do I make gains? While at the shop, won’t I eat?
“They said the government has increased the price of fuel again, this means that the price of foodstuff and other basic needs will also increase.
“It’s getting harder for everybody,”
an aggrieved passenger at Berger bus stop, Ejeh Samuel told Daily Post.
Many passengers sighted by Daily Post were reluctant to pay the new fare as they preferred to wait for the big buses which are very few on the road.
Speaking, a taxi driver, who gave his name as Toffik Musa, said, “It’s not the passengers’ fault. We’re all in this together.
“That you drive a car doesn’t mean all is well. ‘Fuel don increase and na so transport go increase’. Everybody knows that one. For us drivers, our problem is double. We can’t even see the fuel to buy. There’s no fuel.
“Like yesterday, I entered one of the long queues in Utako here and ended up not buying. I had to buy from black market. ‘Things don spoil and everybody dey suffer am. My joy be say, passengers know say no be drivers like me dey cause am’”.
“You people, you journalists are not reporting this government the way it is.
“It seems everybody is afraid,”
a civil servant in the Ministry of Agriculture, who refused to say his name, told Daily Post.
“Now, what is the effect of the new minimum wage? When I deduct my transport fare from my salary as a junior staff member, I’m left with almost nothing. I have a family.
“And if you take the money to the market, you can’t buy anything. We are suffering. We are in pain.
“But we have a government only interested in buying private jets, building big houses and buying big cars for themselves. Now that fuel is N1000, food and other things, everything will add money. Nobody cares about us,”
he lamented further.
On his part, Owoicho Emmanuel, civil servant told DAILY POST: “It’s not funny, it started yesterday when I was going home. I almost went back to my office to spend the night.
“We usually have a lot of vehicles at the park to choose from but that’s no longer the case because of the fuel scarcity. As of yesterday, vehicle owners were the ones making the selection on whom to enter their buses.
“Just going home yesterday, I spent an extra N500. It’s not easy. This administration is just a year old and the suffering is more than what Buhari did in four years.
“Buhari used koboko on us but Tinubu is using scorpion sting. All the people that shouted ‘jagaban’, I hope they have their special market.
“Commercial motorists insisted on collecting N1500 from Berger to Bwari and everybody refused to enter.
“We waited until one El-Rfai bus came and parked all of us like canned fish for N400. If Tinubu cannot handle the issues of this country, can’t he just resign? Is it when everyone dies?”
Another aggrieved Nigerian, Onwa Amadi, said, “I wonder what this government wants us to do. My problem now is not to buy a litre of fuel for N1000.
“The major issue is- where do I see the fuel to buy. I can’t stand in the queue for three hours and still pay such money. It’s painful what we’re going through in our country in the hands of our fellow citizens.”
Speaking to DAILY POST on the subject matter, Eleojo Joseph, an Energy Expert, said the increment was done in bad faith.
According to him, “The decision to increase the pump price at this time is done in bad faith.
“Foremost, Nigerians are going through the most excruciating pain of the sudden fuel subsidy removal and yet NNPCL has the guts to increase it again. It is the most insensitive thing ever.
“Two, I think it was done to paint Dangote in a bad light that nothing will change despite his refinery coming on stream or just to spite him. Don’t forget the battle is still on between Dangote and NNPCL/cabal.”
On the scarcity of the product, he added, “The long queues will persist until Dangote ramps up production. NNPCL does not have funds to import and their credit line with suppliers is exhausted due to debt as the foreign companies are not ready to give any line of credit to NNPCL.
“It’s the hard reality we find ourselves in due to bad decisions and corruption over the years.”
Eleojo further stated that, “Pump adjustment has been with us for a long time. The regulatory agency is corrupt and the marketers too are fraudulent.
“It’s a Nigerian thing as we take joy in cheating each other in all spheres of our lives. Unless the regulator enforces the law on the petroleum marketers, the sleaze will continue.
“On the whole, it’s about time the government removed the MD of NNPCL and other regulatory agencies in the petroleum sector.
“Give Dangote refinery more crude and stop breathing down his neck. Ultimately, Dangote will excel and stabilize the sector.”
Meanwhile, just yesterday, Thursday, the federal government assured Nigerians that the fuel crisis will soon be a thing of the past.
Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), gave the assurance while briefing State House reporters after meeting with Vice-President Kashim Shettima, joined by the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari.
It is left to be seen how the meeting will resolve the twin issues of pricing and scarcity.
