Nigerians are becoming
uncomfortable by the day as petrol has been selling above N110 per litre nationwide, a sharp departure from the official pump price of N87.00 per litre.
Investigations by our correspondent showed that almost every filling station visited sells above N110.
For Mudashiru Omotola, a taxi driver who plies the Rumuokoro-Umuosi axis in Obio/Akpor Local Government Council of the state, “all the filling stations sell above N110”.
This according to him has made it difficult for him and his colleagues to break even at the end of the day.
Omotola said that the situation was worse for drivers who make returns to owners of taxis that they operate.
The story, our correspondent further gathered was the same on the Port Harcourt Aba Expressway.
According to Boniface Kalu, a bus driver, who makes the rounds from Abali Park to Oyigbo, every filling station sells above N110.
Kalu expressed worry at the development even as he called on the federal government to intervene.
Another taxi driver, who uses the Iloabuchi to UST route, Mr. Silas Njoku, expressed shock at the rate petrol stations were selling the product.
He expressed disappointment on the petrol dealers because the federal government was subsidising the product.
However, in most of the filling stations visited by our correspondent in Port Harcourt, Nigerians have been made to pay between N110 and N160 in total disregard to President Muhammadu Buhari’s recent assurance that his administration would not remove fuel subsidy.
Most of the motorists, however, appealed to the president to take proactive measures to stem the tide. They blame the federal government for keeping silent on the development which has given dealers the opportunity to further exploit the masses.
Meanwhile, reports have it that subsidy arrears have continued to rise in spite of the hike in price by petrol marketers.
Two months ago, it was revealed that petrol subsidy arrears had hit N291 billion.