Anambra: Fuel scarcity: Transporters exploit commuters

IT IS usually a tale of woes, cries and sufferings, especially for the common man, whenever the price of fuel
is hiked either as a result of government policy, or as a result of scarcity of the commodity. This is so because fuel scarcity brings with it a downward economic chain reaction that affects the availability and price of other communities, which is ignited by increase in transportation fares, and the bulk creates an invisible hole in the pockets of the man on the street. When in May, with few weeks to the presidential handover date, fuel scarcity hit states across the federation, the story-line has been that of suffering, sweat, long queues at fuel stations and increase in prices of goods and services.
  While authorities of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and its Pipelines and Products Marketing Company (PPMC) repeatedly told Nigerians that there were enough stocks of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) popularly known as petrol to go round. Nigerians continued to pay through their nose to access goods and services.
  Abuja and Lagos were the first to be hit by the scarcity as residents groaned over the situation. Edisha Lukas, a business administration graduate who runs a laundry business in Abuja said the fuel scarcity almost crippled his business, adding that epileptic power supply need no mention as that is a monster Nigerians especially business owners have learned to live with.
  “I spend N5000 weekly powering my generating set before the scarcity, but during the period of the scarcity, I spent over N25,000 on powering my generator alone.” Lukas stated
  Asked how he was able to cope with the situation, a barbing salon operator in Lagos, Ayo Tajudeen stated that he spends N1,000 daily to buy fuel to power his generator, when electricity is relatively stable, he makes N3000 daily on the average, but after subtracting cost, he is left with nothing.
  The truth is that while residents in Abuja and Lagos were already facing  the issue of scarcity, residents in Anambra continued to access goods and services at a normal price in the first two weeks of the scarcity in other areas.
  Residents of Awka and its environs were however stunned on June 4, when they hit the streets only to discover that their fears on fuel scarcity has been confirmed. Commercial bus drivers had increased their fares by almost a hundred percent, a development which did not go down well with commuters, especially workers in the state but what choice do they have, other than to pay amidst curses, murmurs and grudges, the fare stipulated by the drivers.
  As expected, the scarcity did not just affect transport fares, but by extension prices of food stuffs.
  As at about a week ago, the bucket of garri which was formerly sold for N250, had increased to N350, a bucket of wheat grain, went up to N700 from N500, six pieces of fresh tomatoes which hitherto sold for N150, was then sold at N300. Traders at the Eke Awka market were quick to attribute the hike in the price of food stuff to scarcity of fuel, which in turn affect a cost of transporting their wares. According to madam Juliana, a vegetable seller, “normally, when I go to the market, on my way back, I pay N1,200 for my wares alone, but since this issue of fuel scarcity, transporting the same quantity of wares now cost me N3000.” She further added that she is striving to sell off her last stock after which she will wait for the price of fuel to return back to normal, before she continues with her business, as the effect of the fuel scarcity has really cut deep into her capital. On his part, a transporter Chibu Okeke, who plies the Enugu-Onitsha route through old road, lamented that the scarcity had really affected him, as he now finds it almost difficult to meet up with his weekly financial contributory obligation to his club, stating that as things are, most drivers are just on the road for the purpose of keeping their vehicles running, and not for the sake of making gains. He went on to say that the way fuel stations increase the price of PMS is baffling, according to him, “some stations sold for N160 in the morning and in the afternoon, they increased it to N250, just like that”, he concluded.
  There is thus another angle to this issue of fuel scarcity/hike. Residents of Anambra state, having felt the brunt of the scarcity and the attendant increase in the price of PMS, whose blame they lay at the door post of government, wonder why transporters catch-in on such ill opportunities to permanently hike their fares, even when the price of fuel most times reverts back to its previous price. This makes commuters pay more especially workers as they are expected to come to work, be it as it may without a corresponding increase on their salaries, unlike traders, who may increase the price of their wares so as to be able to re-coup the extra amount spent on transportation.