Long lines of motorists have vanished in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, following an increase in the price of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, also known as fuel.
The price per litre ranges between N520 and N550.
A visit by correspondent to some filling stations along Ikot Ekpene road, Aka road, Oron road, Aka Etinan road, and Abak road in Uyo metropolis revealed that most filling stations had fuel, although the rush has significantly decreased.
Ekanma Ekwere, a gasoline attendant at one of the filling stations, reported that sales had actually decreased, and that the number of motorists that patronised them had also decreased after the change to the current pump price.
She stated,
“We have enough fuel; the problem is that motorists are only coming infrequently, as opposed to before when we always had long lines.”
“The majority of the people we see are minibus drivers, Keke riders, and a few private vehicle owners.” “I discovered that many people have already parked their cars.”
A walk down Wellington Bassey Way, which leads to the State Judiciary headquarters, the ‘A’ division of the Nigerian Police, the Uyo Correctional Centre, and Government House, revealed that many civil servants, including those in high positions, are scrambling for the few commercial buses that ply the route to their offices.
Most of them have parked their personal vehicles owing to a lack of fuel.
Mr Akpan, one of the civil servants who spoke with our correspondent, said it was a dumb act for him to drive his car to work, noting that it was more expensive.
He stated,
“It’s not like I like the stress of not being able to drive my automobile. On Sunday, I purchased N5000 in petrol, but it was not enough for 10 litres. I just drove to Itam for church and the market. It went into the reserve.
“I also bought N10,000 worth of fuel in three days last week, and it was depleted.” So I resolved not to make the same mistake again this week.
“How much money do I make in a month to spend N10,000 on gasoline every week?” Taking a commercial car is more cost effective, but it is more stressful for me.”
Before permitting the NNPC to set petrol prices above N500 per litre, labor unions are requesting that the Federal Government return to the former price of N189 and repair the ailing refineries.
However, in an interview, an Akwa Ibom lawyer, Olawojuwon Ogunbiyi (Esq), said it was no longer essential to prolong the terrible days, adding that people should strive to adjust to the current economic reality created by the elimination of gasoline subsidies.
He stated that Labour should have requested for a pay raise, as initiated by the Buhari administration, rather than restoring the gasoline subsidy, which he claimed was the cause of Nigeria’s economic crisis.
He stated that subsidies have continued to deprive the government of earnings from its oil sector, noting that the NNPC did not transfer monies to federal accounts last year despite the fact that it (NNPC) stated that it spent 4.39 trillion naira ($9.7 billion) on petrol subsidies in the previous year.
He claims that
“Anyone who loves Nigeria should want the subsidy to end.”
“We’ve been screaming that the subsidy is a sham, that there’s no way we’d be paying such large sums of money if the refinery wasn’t fixed.”
“We have now ended subsidies.” Let’s see if it’s a scam or not; how do you learn something if you don’t put a stop to it?
“NNPC did not remit any money to CBN over the years because they claimed they used the money to pay up subsidy, and the record they are attempting to show us indicates that subsidy is consuming all of the money they were making.” And the federal government has stated that they spent a significant amount of money on subsidies.
“So let the subsidy end so we can see where the money is going.” What justification will NNPC have if the subsidy is removed? This means that if we can pay off the deficit on the ground before the end of the year, we will have a surplus that can be used for other purposes.
“If this is how to endure, we should all look up to it; it’s a patriotic act, and there’s no gain without pain.”
“You want the government to keep subsidizing everything for you, which is why Nigeria is not productive.”
“Labor’s strike threat was based on a fuel subsidy; they should demand a pay raise.” Buhari announced a pay raise before leaving power; hence, labor should request implementation rather than going on strike for subsidy.
“If the people who protested the removal of subsidies in 2012 had not done so, the issue would have been forgotten and we would not be suffering now; a living wage for workers is what we should be asking for now.”
He urged President Tinubu to establish an atmosphere conducive to corporate growth.
He went on to say:
“Venezuela has more oil than Nigeria, but its economy has collapsed due to socialism and the communist system.”
“You don’t expect the government to provide everything for you; we should make some sacrifices to ensure that things are done properly.”
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