Biting fuel scarcity hits motorists in Jalingo
Jethro Yerga, Jalingo
Barely 24 hours after the removal of fuel Subsidy and the Executive Order announced by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a biting fuel scarcity has hit motorists in Jalingo the Taraba State capital
Our correspondent who tour round the city reported that long queues had resumed in feeling stations within the metropolis while a few of the stations were dispensing fuel in trickle and many had closed their gates to motorists.
Some motorists who spoke to our correspondent expressed surprise over the sudden disappearance of the product and called on the government to take immediate and proactive step to address the issue to cushion the hardship that came along with what they described as “artificial scarcity”.
At the NNPC Mile six Jalingo where motorists lamented to have spent several hours in queue, the commodity is sold at 550 naira per litre while several other feeling stations in the town dispensed it at 580 naira per litre.
When contacted, a Senior Supervisor at the NNPC Mega Station, Mark Anthony attributed the long queue to the removal of fuel subsidy and urged the government to take proactive steps towards installing alternative ways to subsidy to enable common men live a happy life.
“The government should work swiftly on our refineries and do other things necessary to beat down the price of fuel because no business man would want to run a lose in his business. I am optimistic that if we have good refineries here, the cost of processing our crude oil will reduce and so the consumers will also have it at a lesser price”. He stated.
The Taraba State Chairman of the Commercial Tricycle and Motorcycles Association TASCOTMAN, Alhaji Abdulahi Bello, lamented that most of the commercial tricycle riders in the town had already packed their tricycles because they found it difficult to operate on the current price of the commodity.
According to him, his association must have to increase the fare per drop in the city to enable his members cope with the scarcity and the absurd increase in the price of fuel.
Bello who advised passengers to always bargain before boarding a tricycle during this period to avoid unnecessary misunderstanding, further appealed to the government to swiftly address the issue so as to alleviate the sufferings of common men who had just came out of cash crunch.
“As you can see, life entirely has become very difficult these two days in the state because of the increase in price of fuel subsidy. We want to appeal to the government to as a matter of urgency, intervene and save us from this terrible situation.
If the situation continue, I doubt so much if some people will survive it for few months”. He lamented.
Similarly, a bus driver who identified himself as Rimande John, lamented that if nothing was done to address the issue, common men would be the most hit in the situation.
Rimande who said he was at the NNPC to buy 40 litres stated that he ended up buying only 20 litres because of the absurd increase in price of the product
Recalled that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on his inauguration on Monday, declared that , the 2023 Budget made no provision for fuel subsidy and more so, subsidy payment is no longer justifiable. He therefore announced its removal with immediate effect.
