Motorists and commuters in Lagos and Ogun states lamented the stinging consequences of lingering fuel scarcity on Tuesday, as the situation remained unchanged from the previous two weeks.
According to our correspondents, the price of Premium Motor Spirit, also known as petrol, appears to have stalled at N200/litre, which is roughly the same price the product has been selling for in Lagos, Abuja, and some states over the last week.
A number of filling stations in Lagos remained closed for business, ostensibly due to product shortages.
Further investigation by The PUNCH revealed that transport fares in various parts of Lagos remained 50% higher due to the continued scarcity of PMS. Some routes experienced hikes of up to 100%.
According to a commercial transport operator who operates on the Berger/Mowe route between Lagos and Ogun states, motorists are facing not only a significant increase in fuel prices, but also significant difficulty in obtaining the product.
According to a commercial transport operator who operates on the Berger/Mowe route between Lagos and Ogun states, motorists are facing not only a significant increase in fuel prices, but also significant difficulty in obtaining the product.
“It’s because of the price at which we’re buying,” he explained. We’ve been buying fuel for N200/litre or nearly N200/litre for more than a week. Aside from the price increase, we frequently suffer before we can buy. Many gas stations have gone out of business. Despite our best efforts, they refuse to sell.
Passengers believe we enjoy raising our fares, but if we don’t, we will lose money. Even with the increase, we are still not making what we would on a typical day, owing to the time it takes to purchase fuel.”
The increase in fares along the Berger/Ibafo axis, according to a passenger identified as Ganiyat, was beginning to take its toll on commuters.
According to her, a lack of commercial buses has resulted in higher transportation fares.
“It’s gotten out of hand,” she said. Every day, I commute from Ibafo to Lagos and back. Normally, I pay N200 from Berger to Ibafo, but since the fuel scarcity began, you have to make sure you have enough money because you don’t know how much they will charge. They are now charging N500. On Saturday, I paid N800 for a trip that normally costs N200.”
Mr Cyril Ukpor, who lives in the Iyana Ejigbo area of Lagos State, said he purchased fuel at a Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation outlet in the area for N165/litre.
In addition, a resident identified as Blessing stated that she purchased the product for N200 per litre.
Let the product be readily available for purchase. We know that when we see long lines like this, it means they want to raise the pump price.”