The current scarcity of petrol has worsened the plights of business operators, especially artisans and motorists in Edo State.
Despite repeated assurances by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited to resolve the distribution issue, the scarcity has persisted, as residents continue struggling to buy the product at prices way above the regulated benchmark of N162 per litre.
The situation has had a ripple effect on the cost of transportation and business centres, as well as other craftsmen like barbers, who are lamenting the impact, as they depend on petrol to run their businesses, in the face of epileptic electricity supply.
Some of the filling stations visited on Tuesday morning in Benin City sold for between N185 and N220. While filling stations like Rain oil on Sakponba road was devoid of vehicles and shut, others such as Conoil on Ekenwan road and NIPCO on Ugbiokho road were opened.
Lauretta Ekpadi, a business centre operator, said the prices of papers for photocopies, printing and scanning have significantly increased since the problem started, adding that customers hardly agree to her new charges because it is not within their purchasing power.
“We rely on petrol for our business because there is no power supply. We normally buy N3,000 worth of fuel to run our business for a day but now N6,000 is no longer enough.
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Presently, the price of printing is N100 as against N50, while scanning which used to be N100 is now N150.
“Previously, a photocopy is N20 but today, it is N30. It has also affected the sale of a carton of A4 paper which has increased from N10, 500 to N11,000,” Ekpadi said.
Charles Egbon, a Benin-based man said: “This has affected every aspect of life. Imagine a driver, before travelling to the village, bought fuel to carry traders and farmers to the city and upon returning, the passengers were shocked to hear the new fare to convey them and their commodities to their respective destinations.
“We just came back from the festive season and normally the price of things will drop by January or February but today, it is not so.
He added, “Some filling stations sell at a higher price while others sell at the normal rate. I think it is being hoarded because the stations will sell to some extent and then tell you, there is no more fuel. The Federal Government should do something about this current problem and find a way to make it available to marketers.”
For Akhere Omo, a barber said Nigerians always suffer in one way or the other as a result of those in power, saying “this is my only source of income and I can’t perform my job if there is no fuel. Nowadays, I buy N2,000 fuel as against N1,000 on a daily basis.
Daniel Ubong, a Benin-based driver, who spent a better of Tuesday at a filling station, said “passengers are already complaining that transport fare has gone up. So, if I buy at the rate of N200 sold in other filling stations, they may not be able to afford the transportation cost and that is why I am patiently waiting here.”
