For many Nigerians, it has been lamentations since the inception of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration due to the removal of the fuel subsidy that has seen the price of the Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), otherwise known as “petrol” skyrocket.
More recently, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) jerked up the pump prices of petrol to N617 per litre from N500 per litre.
This new hike has gotten tongues wagging as hunger walks on the streets of the nation.
Some Ondo State residents, who spoke with newsmen, decried the hardship that would follow the increment in the fuel price.
They knocked Tinubu’s government for increasing the petrol price without considering the plight of Nigerians.
In their words, the new increment of petrol to N617 per litre would further cause untold hardship and give room for high prices of commodities and essential goods.
A civil servant in the state, Ayodele Olufemi, described the increment in the pump price as another attempt to suffer Nigerians, especially in the face of the current economic realities.
While noting that he voted for Tinubu in the last presidential election, Olufemi explained that the increment in pump price would ‘kill Nigerians.’
“We didn’t elect President Bola Tinubu to inflict us with this suffering. This new price is killing and it’s a policy that doesn’t have human face at all.
“I am calling on the President to better review this price immediately before people troop out to the streets and protest against his government. I didn’t join others to elect him to increase our suffering,” he said.
Another resident, Ruth Omolere, averred that the increment in the fuel price is “shocking and a disaster”, arguing that the poor would suffer the action of the new government more.
She said “Honestly, this is another disaster in the pipeline. How on earth will they increase fuel prices again? We suffered the 8 years of Muhammadu Buhari’s government. We want to start suffering again.
“Many of us could not take our children to school when they removed the fuel subsidy and was selling at over N500 per litre. Now they have increased the price again. They should have mercy on poor Nigerians before it is too late.”
A commercial motorcyclist, Kunle Momoh, who bought the petrol at the rate of N600 per litre, said the federal government is calling for a ‘revolution’ by further increasing the price.
He added that, “I bought the product for N600 per litre today as against the initial N500 per litre here in Akure. It’s annoying that the government is increasing the price of fuel again.
“This is a disaster and I don’t know how this government want us to cope with this. Now, transport fares and prices of commodities would also go up. I think this government is asking us to pour on the street. They want the people to rise against them.”
Already, transportation fares across the nation have continued to shoot up significantly as Nigerians grapple with the ripple effect of the increase in the price of the product.
Recall that on May 29, Tinubu had, during his inaugural speech, announced the removal of fuel subsidy, noting that the money saved from it would be channeled into developing the country.
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