THE CONSTANT HIKE IN FUEL PRICE

Judging by how the fuel price keeps going up, one is forced to wonder if there will ever be a time when it will go down to the same price it was sold for, a few years back.
There is also a large possibility that the majority of Nigerians are having regrets about voting for the current party as a result of the sudden hike of fuel from an amount of two hundred and eighty naira(#280) to an average amount of six hundred naira(#600) barely a week after the new government assumed office.
People, mostly the masses in Nigeria are left perplexed and lost as they are forced to face the harsh reality that not only would the price of fuel increase more than the current price it is at, the cost of living in Nigeria might not get any better, if better decisions are not made to improve the country’s economy.
Already, the common man, just because of the increase in fuel, has to face challenges in moving from one place to another, in business too, as the hike brought about an all-round increase in price of goods and services.
Also, the aspect of electricity is not left out. It is no news to say the power supply in Nigeria in some places is terrible, and the increase in the price of fuel doesn’t make it any better for businesses and households that run on petrol generators.
It feels like we have literally moved from frying pan to fire.

From the moment crude oil was first discovered in Oloibiri, Bayelsa state in the year 1956, Nigerians have been forced to depend on it, and with the invention of the car which mostly operates on fuel, the life of the average Nigerian has been expensive. Unlike what most people thought, with the discovery of crude oil, lives will get better, it suddenly became the reverse.

Flashing back to the leaders we have had, I would always say one of the best leaders we have had in Nigeria has to be President Yar’adua of blessed memories. I am forced to wonder how exactly he had been able to get fuel price to be sold at #65 and all of the other necessities one needs to live, at a fairly cheap rate. I could say, with all certainty, that we were happier people then.

Also, his successor, President Ebele Jonathan, did a good job in managing the economy of the country, alongside subsidizing basic amenities for citizens. Recently, there have been regrets and questions arising from Nigerians who are demanding that he tells us how exactly he had made the price of fuel that cheap, as his predecessor, bringing to mind that fuel as of then, was sold at #89. The craziest part of it was that, at that time, a lot of Nigerians kept complaining and even protesting for reasons that barely had substance, in the Goodluck Ebele Jonathan led government.
But judging by what we have had to go through recently, a lot of them are bringing up talks about how they miss him already.

When the current president removed the subsidy, a lot of people were trying as hard as they could to understand what it meant and wondering at the same time how it would affect them. Nigerians have been hearing about the subsidy but most of them didn’t have an inkling on what it meant until it was removed.
Subsidy to a layman’s understanding can be described as a benefit given to an Individual, business, or institution usually by the government. It can be as cash payments, or indirectly as tax breaks.

For a better understanding, we could assume you usually get something, probably a bag of rice every month and a good friend of yours decides to pay half the price for you, you let him do it happily until one day he tells you that he can no longer pay half the price he usually pays for you anymore and now you have to pay the whole sum yourself. First off, you will be heartbroken but you have no choice.

That is the same thing with the fuel, the federal government, dating backward, has been paying the subsidy for almost two hundred million Nigerians and now, they are saying they are tired of paying already because it is affecting the economy but we know that is far from the truth. That will be a topic for another day.

Making life easier for Nigerians should be the primary concern and responsibility of the government led by the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. But like the way it happened with the hike in fuel prices, we can not say the same.
The situations of things in the country have brought us to the state where we now believe and can say without mincing words, that we have a government that doesn’t care about its citizens, as the price of foodstuffs, clothes, and every daily necessity has toppled up. And the students are not left out, as they are angered for having to pay twice the amount they paid for things before now.

This sudden price change didn’t just affect students, it affected the marketers also.
Having been privileged to work at the depot where most of the time, I had stayed back to watch tankers leave the depot, I cannot help but feel pity for marketers of petrol. Imagine getting a product for four million and the prices double within a month. Most of the time, it is also tough to bear.

With the sudden hike in price, there is a possibility that a lot of marketers will fold up in business and this is because, not everyone can afford the new price of petrol sold at the depots. The current government has not just made things hard for the average Nigerian, but the rich also aren’t exempted from the hardships arising from the policies of this government.

I will be glad if the current government can think about the citizens. A lot of people have been laid off from work due to this new development and although, others now substitute petrol powered generator with solar panels, not everyone is buoyant enough to afford it.

I am hoping that the current government will think about its citizens once again and work on bringing down the fuel price, fulfilling the main responsibilities that the citizens have trusted them with.

Written by:
Ofigo Faith
100-level law student of Delta State University, Abraka.