Nigerians have lamented worsening living conditions after the recent hike in fuel prices.

The hardship, which started after the removal of fuel subsidy and devaluation of the naira, was exacerbated on Wednesday when the pump price of fuel jumped from around N800 to N1,150 per litre.

Our correspondents noted that since then, there has been a skyrocketing increase in the prices of food items as transport costs soared.

Many Nigerians expressed frustration with the situation, saying they could no longer afford to feed their family members due to strained budgets.

Saturday PUNCH gathered that intra-city transporters in Abuja and the Federal Capital Territory, have increased their fares by N100 while those operating inter-state hiked fares by N500 to N1,000, depending on the destination.

A worker in a financial firm in Lagos, Donald Eke, said his transport fare from New Road to Lekki Phase 1 on Lagos Island increased by over 100 per cent.

“The fare has been increasing steadily, but since the recent fuel hike, a trip that used to cost N300 to my office now costs N700. With serious negotiation, you could pay N600,” he stated.

It was learnt that commuters from Iyana Iba to the Iyana Ipaja axis of Lagos, who used to spend N500, now pay between N700 and N800. Similarly, the fare from the Lagos State University gate to Iyana Ipaja, which used to be N400, is now N700, representing a 75 per cent increase.

Commuters who travel from Iyana Iba and LASU gate to Igando, who formerly paid N200, now spend N300 since the fuel hike began.

One of our correspondents also gathered that commuters from Igando to Egbeda, who used to pay N300, now spend between N400 and N500.

Ogun State

In Ogun State, passengers who ply the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway lamented the hike in transport fares, which they said increased by 100 per cent.

A sales representative, Treasure Ettah, who resides in Magboro, told Saturday PUNCH that the transport fare from the Prayer City axis of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway to his workplace in Gbagada, Lagos, spiked by 100 to 140 per cent.

“My transport fare is normally N500, and at most N700 to Gbagada before. Now, it’s between N1,000 to N1,400 from Prayer City. I am just managing the situation because I can’t sit at home,” Ettah said.

A pharmacist, who resides in Magboro, Chinedum Ucheaga, and works at Ojodu, Berger, also told one of our correspondents that the fuel hike led to an increase in bus fares by at least 60 per cent.

“Before, I used to spend like N400, as the least fare to Berger. Now, it seems N500 is the lowest they can carry you because as of today (Friday), some passengers paid N700, while others spent N800 due to the blockage along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway because of the construction. Some passengers spent as much as N1,000 going to Ikeja Secretariat,” he said.

Passengers reported that commercial buses from Ibafo to Magboro, previously charging N200, now charge N300, while the fare to Ikorodu was increased from N1,000 to N1,500.

Commuters from Magboro to Oshodi, who previously spent N800, now pay as high as N1,400, reflecting a 75 per cent increase.

Magboro to Ojota, which was N500, was hiked to N800; while Ketu fare was also hiked from N300 to N500.

A commuter, Ireti Ayodele, lamented that the hike in the cost of transportation had made a mess of her earnings.

She said, “My income is not even enough to cover transport costs again. The same place I paid N500 for on Thursday is now N1,000 today. This is too much.”

Osun, Ondo states

In Osun State, commercial operators known as Korope drivers in Osogbo, have also adjusted their fares due to the fuel hike.

A resident of the state, Kazeem Badmus, said the transport fares to Okuku, Ife, Ilesa and Iwo have been increased to N2,500, N2,000, N1,500 and N2,000 from N1,500, N1,200 and N2,000 respectively.

At the Aregbe Park in the state capital, the transport fare from Osogbo, which was formerly N3,500 as of Tuesday, has now increased to N4,000.

“Commuters travelling to Ondo, Ore, and Lagos now pay between N5,000 and N8,000,” an Osogbo resident told one of our correspondents.

Checks by Saturday PUNCH showed that the price of petrol ranged from N1,000 to N1,200 across most of the filling stations in Ondo State.

The transport fare of commercial vehicles at the shortest distance in Ondo State is now N200, while inter-state commercial vehicles have increased their fares by 20 per cent.

A car owner, Edwards Oladeinde, lamented that he bought four litres of petrol for N6,000.

He said, “The government should be consistent on fuel prices because this development has aggravated our suffering.”

Plateau, Yobe, Benue states

In Plateau State, residents expressed worry that due to increased transportation fares, more people might be forced to remain indoors.

A resident, Philip Dontur, who spoke with one of our correspondents, noted that the transport fare from Jos to Shendam, which used to be N4,000 a few months ago, has now increased to N6,000.

“Jos-Shendam route used to be very busy because of the high traffic volume of passengers but now, the situation has changed. Those loading in the park have to stay for hours without seeing passengers while the road has become virtually empty. All because of the high cost of transportation because people no longer want to travel,” Dontur stated.

A similar trend was observed in Yobe State where Saturday PUNCH gathered that transportation costs have also surged by about 50 per cent.

Previously, the transport fares from Damaturu to Potiskum ranged from N1,500 to N1,800, depending on the type of vehicle, with mass transit and Yobe Line buses which usually cost less than commercial vehicles.

In Makurdi, the Benue State capital, transportation costs have skyrocketed, including commercial motorcycles, a major means of transportation, which has also gone up from N200 for a short distance to N350.

A resident of High Level, Makurdi who simply identified himself as Teseer, said, “If there is no emergency, why do you need to move around, people have been forced to stay indoors.”

Foodstuff prices skyrocket

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Saturday PUNCH also learnt that a bag of yam flours which was sold at N400,000 two weeks ago in Lagos, now sells at N550,000 as of the time of filing this report.

Also, a bag of rice that was previously sold at N80,000 has been increased to N100,000 according to a foodstuffs seller in Ibadan, Oyo State.

In Bauchi State, traders, customers and transporters of food produce lamented the hike in the prices of commodities.

Speaking with one of our correspondents, a trader in New GRA Bauchi, Anas Yusuf, explained that the cost of transporting goods from Kano to Bauchi skyrocketed due to higher fuel prices.

“When I order goods at a higher price, customers complain, and some even leave without purchasing anything because they can’t afford it. Customers often express their anger, but as a business owner, I have to remain patient to keep them coming,” Anas said.

A father of one, Muazu Husseini, explained that in the past, his family fed three times a day, but currently, they eat once due to the hike in food prices.

He added, “In the past, N10,000 was enough to last the family for two weeks, but now it is not enough to last even a week. While prices may go down sometimes, the relief doesn’t reach everywhere.”

A bread seller in the Rukuba Road community, in Jos, Plateau State, Mrs Charity Gideon, also lamented the hike in food prices.

“People no longer buy bread like before due to high price and everything is caused by high fuel cost. I don’t know what the government wants the people to do before they know that everything is virtually dependent on the price of fuel,” she said.

In Yobe State, several food sellers also complained about the significant drop in patronage in the food markets over the past two days.

During a visit to the popular Bayan-Tasha market in Damaturu, one of our correspondents observed a decline in the number of buyers and sellers present in the market.

A trader in the market, Mallam Haruna Mamman, said, “The price of a measure of rice, both local and imported, has increased significantly. The local variety, which used to cost between N3,700 and N3,900, now costs between N4,500 and N5,400, depending on the type.”

He continued, “Maize, which previously cost between N3,800 and N4,000, now costs between N4,500 and N4,600. Similarly, millet and sorghum, which were priced between N2,000 and N2,200, have also seen price hikes.”

Similarly, when one of our correspondents visited Wadatta Market in Benue State, he observed a drastic drop in the number of customers.

A trader at the market, who is known as Terdue, said many shop owners, especially those dealing in fabrics, utensils and other stuff, seldom come to the market.

He said, “The cost of a measure of local rice which was sold for N3,100 on Thursday now goes for N3,200 today (Friday).

“A basin of garri that used to cost N22,500 now goes for N32,000, so also other food items like beans, millet and corn.”

A trader, who gave his name simply as Mallam Yusuf and sells fruits at the market, said three oranges which used to be N100 now cost N250. Similarly, one apple which used to cost N200 is now sold for N400.

Hunger dey, Netizens cry out

Many Nigerians have also taken to social media to express their frustration over the recent fuel price hikes, lamenting that there is hunger in the land.

The mood seems to have been captured in a trending song by an up-and-coming artiste and skit maker, Lawal Michael, popularly known as Nasboi.

Michael, in the song titled, ‘Hunger dey’, said economic hardship is biting hard and Nigerians are suffering.

“There is no food, rice and garri are expensive. There is ulcer, and there is no food to cure it. Hunger will kill somebody in Lagos.”

His song resonated with the conditions of many Nigerians who also expressed frustration with getting by daily.

An X user, Dr Hafsatu Danladi, said Nigerians were sinking deeper into poverty because the economy was in free fall.

She wrote, “It is heartbreaking to watch a government so out of touch with the pain of its own people. How much more can we endure?

“Fuel prices have skyrocketed, inflation is at an all-time high, and survival feels like a daily battle. Meanwhile, T-pain (Tinubu) is holidaying in London on taxpayer money while Nigerians go to bed on empty stomachs. This is beyond shameful.”

Also commenting on the fuel hike, Benson Onyekachi, on his X handle, stated that Nigeria was experiencing the worst economic crisis in about 30 years, adding that the hardship was contributing to citizens’ mental health crises.

“People are not in their best selves anymore, the majority looking tensed and tired, overwhelmed with worries of how to sail through this present economic hardship without getting drowned in it. The atmosphere in Nigeria now is not encouraging at all, people just surviving to fight another day”, said Olayode Temitayo.

According to a netizen, Nnenna Okoronkeo, Nigerians have turned into beggars in their own country.

“We have been rendered destitute in what is supposed to be our free country. For how long are we going to keep adjusting? People have turned into beggars, they are fast losing their minds and even taking their own lives. It is crazy times in Nigeria, Tinubu is out to kill us,” she wrote.

Echoing the same complaint, an X user, Oluwawemimo Awe-Kolawole, lamented that commodities that used to be affordable to Nigerians became luxury within a year, adding that Nigerians are now “fighting each other on soup matter.”

Tinubu daring Nigerians –Protest organisers

The organizers of the #EndBadGovernance and #FearlessinOctober protests lampooned President Tinubu over the recent hike in the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit.

Speaking in separate interviews with our correspondent on Friday, the organisers demanded the immediate reversal of the fuel price.

The National Coordinator, the Take it Back Movement, Juwon Sanyaolu said the President was daring Nigerians with the latest price hike, adding that his group and other organisers would consider their next line of action.

On his part, the Initiator, Creative Change Centre, Omole Ibukun, noted that he and other organisers of the last protests were mobilising and would announce action which would be taken afterwards.

He said, “The continuous hike in fuel price is a reflection of how dubious the Nigerian government is when it comes to telling Nigerians the truth about the implications of the policies they implement on the masses. The government has fraudulently portrayed subsidy removal and deregulation as the key to lowering fuel prices for Nigerians, but we can all see that’s a lie.

“Our demand stands and it is that this country has enough resources presently to return fuel price to pre-May 29, 2023 price. One important way to achieve this is to get our public refineries working rather than put the Nigerian people at the mercy of imported fuel or at the mercy of a private refinery, despite Nigeria being a major oil-producing country.

“However, we are presently engaged in democratic mobilisation of efforts for the mass of Nigerians to agree on a form of direct action, which could be a protest, that we can use to respond to this new attack on our living conditions by the government. It is that democratic mobilisation that will determine when a protest will commence on this.” (PUNCH)