…NANS set for showdown
…Commuters stranded across cities
By Uche Onyeali, Abuja
Following the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited, NNPCL, adjustment of the price of Premium Motor Spirit,PMS, on last Tuesday from N568-N617 to between N855 -N897 depending on location, there have been rising rejection of the new pump price by a wide spectrum of the Nigerian society.
AljazirahNigeria reports that the new price of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, otherwise known as petrol was effected by the NNPCL amid ongoing fuel scarcity in most parts of the country.
In its rejection of the new price, the National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, yesterday called on the Federal Government to reverse the new petrol pump price.
.
NANS in a statement yesterday said should the government fails to reverse the price, students all over the country will shut down major cities in the country as from September 15.
Besides, National President of the association, Comrade Lucky Emonefe, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, in Abuja, said “We appeal to the government to rescind its decision because it will get to a time people can no longer bear the sufferings.
“The national protest that took place in August, we decided not to come out and be part of it, because we hoped that things will get better.
“If things do not get better, we will have no choice but to mobilise our members to join protest ’’, he said.
Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, in a statement yesterday signed by its President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, “We are filled with a deep sense of betrayal as the Federal Government clandestinely increases the pump price of PMS. One of the reasons for accepting N70,000 as national minimum wage was the understanding that the pump price of PMS would not be increased even as we knew that N70,000 was not sufficient”.
… Stranded commuters
In the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, yesterday stranded commuters narrated unpleasant experiences
For instance, Miss Amina Yusuf, a clerk in a private firm, said: “ Yesterday, I paid N1, 000 from my house in Gudu to Garki where I work, only to leave my office and realise the fare had increased by 50%
“I stood for hours at the Phototech junction waiting for vehicle to go back, because the fare had been increased to N1,500.
“I had to beg other commuters who helped me out. One gave me N300 while the other added N200, before I could leave the bus stop.
“It was a harrowing experience, because I hate begging, but I had no choice’’, she said.
Another commuter, Mr Kingsley Okoye, said that the fare hike had burdened his finances.
Okoye said: “From Apo to Gudu, we were paying N250 fare, but I was charged N400, this morning.
“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 unbearable. The government is not looking at the suffering of Nigerians; they are only concerned with policies and regulations, which do not favour us’’, she said.
A driver, Mr Paulinus Eze, said: “We cannot run at a loss. As we speak, most filling stations are not even selling fuel yet, and the ones that are selling have adjusted their prices.
“NIPCO, where I usually buy fuel, has increased its price from N640 to N945, and I heard AYA Shafa is selling at N880 instead of N700.
“t is not our fault. We have to increase the price so that we can remain in business.
“We also have family members to take care of’’, Eze said.
Motorists and commuters in Jos, decried the hike in pump price of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, by the NNPCL.
NAN observed that major and other marketers were dispensing the product between 970 and N1100.
Many fuel stations in the city are without the product, long queues were observed at the NNPCL Mega Station, Dogon Karfe, and NNPCL Station Mararaba Jamaa, as well as the Mobil Filling Station in Hwolshe, Jos.
A motorist, Ruth Hoke, described the recent increase as the ”highest level of insensitivity by the NNPCL and the Federal Government”.
”While salaries and wages remain stagnant, the government keeps increasing the pump price at the detriment of the poor masses”, she said
Similarly, motorists and commuters in Kano metropolitan, lamented the hike in the pump price of Petrol.
The motorists and commuters told NAN that the review was uncalled for considering the economic hardship and persistent fuel scarcity in the country.
Alhaji Mohammad Ibrahim, a resident of Gwale, said that he could no longer afford to buy petrol for his car and generator.
“ I am parking my car until further notice and adjusting my lifestyle to cope with the economic hardship.
“I have a large family of 14 members and I have to provide for them because they rely on me for their daily needs”, he said.
Also, residents of Ogun state have been lamenting the increase in price of petrol, saying it will further compound the economic hardship in the country.
NAN reports that some fuel stations within Abeokuta metropolis revealed that PMS is now being sold at prices between N905 and N1,250.
Transport fare from Abeokuta to Iyana Ipaja in Lagos, which was formerly N2,000, is now N2,500 while Abeokuta to Sango moved from N1,500 to N2,000.
Mr Kunle Olayeni, a civil servant, expressed worries over the current hike in PMS, saying it should not have come at a time when inflation has reached an all-time high”.
In another development tricycle operators popularly called “Keke” barricaded the Deco Road junction in Warri South Local Government Area of Delta, to protest the hike in fuel pump price.
Protesters marched from the Enerhen junction to Deco Road junction to register their grievance over the hike and its perceived scarcity
They converged as early as 6:00 a.m at the Enerhen junction to kick start the protest, and marched to block the Deco junction calling on the government to intervene urgently.
NAN reports that the Deco Road junction served as a connecting route to Enerhen junction, Hausa Quarters and Okumagba Avenue.
