Encomium
Price per litre soars beyond N200, solution beyond next week
The biting scarcity of petrol has reached a dangerous and destructive point, threatening our crumbling economy and sliding the country into destitution.
Apart from the essential commodity being widely unavailable, those dispensing fuel are now selling far above N200 per litre … from the official N86.50.
Even where available ( only one or two filling stations in every ten have), there are sharp practices of short changing customers. Most times, for every ten litres, two or three litres are stolen. And that’s after spending long and harrowing hours at the stations.
Tempers are high, and stress levels totter on worrisome level. No one smiles anymore as power outages compound our frustrations.
Apart from powering vehicles, from cars and jeeps to tricycles and motorcycles, petrol is also needed to run generators which most small and medium scale firms use to keep their operations afloat.
Many businesses, small, medium and large, are off-loading workers unto the labour market as thousands struggle to survive, and legions close shop. Rising cost of living again further pauperizes us. And high costs make production unappealing and unprofitable.
Those who are hoping for respite next week have been advised to suspend their optimism by insiders in the oil sector. If the measures put in place go without any hitch, availability of fuel across the nation at official rate and without queues can only happen towards the end of April.
And observers fear that by then Nigeria would be a failed state with all the signs of helplessness.
