Various unsolicited challenges of life has made it very difficult to access what should ordinarily belong to one.
Many posit that Nigeria is a country blessed with natural resources which if managed well by our leaders can make the economy and the life of the citizens exceptional.
However,the recent sudden hike in fuel which Nigerians utilize on at daily basis is now something else.
Furthermore, in some quarters it is perceived that since the inauguration of president Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the removal of fuel subsidy, Nigerians have since not find the fuel much more accessible.
The fuel price has been fluctuation around #510 per litre according to NNPC but other fuel stations sell for more or less.
Surprisingly, on the 18th of July, 2023 there was another sudden hike on the fuel price from #510 as stipulated by NNPC initially to #610 per litre, which has brought ine chaos, confusion and inflation of commodities among Nigerians.
Sequel to the sudden increase in prices of the premium motor spirit also know as petrol from #520 to #617 Lagosians have lamented the untold hardship it has inflicted on the masses and called the president Bola Ahmed Tinubu led administration to quickly come to the aid of the common man who directly feels the brunt.
Residents made the plea on Wednesday at various spots in Lagos including Egbeda, Ikotun and Shaha axis of the center of excellence during an interview with jiroltv Lagos state correspondent Kola Olatunji.
Mr. Oluwole, manager of Priceline supermarket and bakery during the interview said the hike in fuel price is coming at the wrong time stressing that the increment was not really the problem but the resultant on the common man is really killing .
Mr. Oluwole posited that the federal government should have considered puting in place a workable and convinient palliative to cushion the effect before hastely pronouncing a removal of the subsidy.
He explained that the pallatives could include increasing the minimum wage of workers and that the cost of governance for senators and house of representatives should have been reduced .
The businessman said the astronomical rise of the fuel price hike has greatly affected the cost of transportation to the extent that car owners have now resolved to taking the commercial buses and for any outing these days one has to being out a calculator and navigation map .
He said as a busissman who’s business depends on logistics here and there the effect is really unbearable .
Mr. Oluwole, however urged that government should workout strategies to build our refineries, the money realized from the subsidy removal should be judiciously utilized as he berated the #8,000.00 proposed pallatives for 12m vulnerable Nigeria homes should be dropped rather those money should be diverted to creating more jobs and increased minimum wage.
Lastly, Mr Oluwole called on president Bola Tinubu government to do something on the foreign exchange policy of the country’s legal tender the naira and make it stable rather than the flunctuating nature been experienced now.
On his own part a commercial Keke Nappe driver Mr Jonathan who was indifferent with the removal explained that the sudden increment is negatively affecting his business because commuters since the increase a day before have resolved to trekking, even those who manage to ask them for the fare would prefer to walk half of the distance.
While commenting on what government can do to address the issue , Mr. Jonathan explained that government should just find a way to reduce it but if that can not be done fast, government can help the transport sector especially for those in his line to either reduce or remove the double taxation they experience everyday in their sector, stressing that those are some of the reasons for the increased transport fares.
The third respondent a safety personnel who also spoke with jiroltv Lagos correspondent Kola Olatunji,who wants to be addressed as Mr. Franklin argued that president Bola Tinubu should have done proper consultations with relevant authorities in the oil sector before removing the subsidy because the ripples effect on the common man is really devastating and life threatening.
Life threatening in the scenes that the hike has resulted in the cost of getting medical treatment and that would result to Nigerians sorting other alternatives to their health conditions which could lead to instant death.
Second thing is that the situation has also resulted to untold increase in the cost of food stuff which could lead to hunger to death because the market value is really nothing to talk to talk about like the price of a bag of rice has been increased to #40,000.00,bag of garri now #20,000.00 and the tomatoes that formally goes for #200.00 is now #500.00.
Similarly, he wondered how government expects a civil servant collecting #30,000.00 monthly to survive with the resultant increments here and there he however suggested that government should be bold enough to call petroleum markers and other stakeholders in the sector to order and as a regulating body put a benchmark on it that would not kill the masses.
Source:Jiroltv Lagos correspondent, Kola Olatunji.
