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Drivers and commuters in Borno State have called on the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited to establish more retail stations in the state.
The call was made on Monday as NNPC Ltd concluded a one-day sensitization exercise in Maiduguri, the state capital.
The sensitization exercise, which was aimed at educating drivers and commuters on the importance of safe and efficient use of petroleum products, drew participants from across the state.
However, during the interactive session, drivers and commuters while commending the management of NNPC Ltd for organizing the programme requested for the establishment of more retail outlets in the state to ease access to cheaper and unadulterated petroleum products which NNPC retail has on offer.
The stakeholders equally contended that the provision of more NNPC retail outlets would halt the prevailing scenario where motorists and commuters travel long distance from the parks to the nearest fuel station in search of products.
In his own reaction, the park leader of Borno Express, Saminu Yakubu, who spoke on behalf of the drivers in the unit, said the scarcity of retail stations had led to an increase in the price of petroleum products in the state.
“We appreciate the efforts of NNPC Ltd in organizing this sensitization exercise, but we want to use this opportunity to appeal to the company to establish more retail stations in the state,” he stated.
Another Park leader, Muhammadu Dan Inna, who chairs Kano Line in the state, said: “We often have to travel long distances to buy fuel, which is not only stressful but also expensive.”
Having listened to the complaints of stakeholders at the programme, the NNPCL team assured that the company is committed to expanding its retail presence in Borno State in line with its global mandate of ensuring national energy security.
The team noted that NNPC Ltd had already identified some locations in the state where new retail stations would be established to increase access to petroleum products, adding that the company is committed to ensuring that Nigerians had access to safe and efficient petroleum products.
The sensitization exercise was part of the company’s efforts to educate Nigerians on the importance of safe and efficient use of petroleum products.
The exercise, which was attended by drivers, commuters, and other stakeholders in the community, featured presentations on the safe and efficient use of petroleum products, as well as the importance of adhering to safety protocols at retail stations. Some lucky stakeholders went home with gift items and freebies following raffle draws at various motor parks.
The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) has launched a free bus service for commuters in Lagos and Ogun States, aiming to ease the burden of rising transportation costs caused by the recent fuel price hike.
The initiative, tagged “Free Bus To Work Powered By RCCG Youth Province 1,” will run from October 14 to December 6, 2024, offering weekday transportation to help alleviate the economic hardship many are facing.
The RCCG Youth Province 1 shared this development in a post on their official X (formerly Twitter) account, stating that the service is exclusively available Monday through Friday.
The post listed several pick-up and drop-off points across Lagos and Ogun States to accommodate commuters’ needs.
Pick-up points include:
Car Park C/Mowe Bus Stop to Law School, Victoria Island at 5:45 a.m. and 6 a.m.
Car Park C/Mowe Bus Stop to Berger/7Up Bus Stop at 6 a.m., 7 a.m., and 8 a.m.
RCCG Joseph Palace to CMS at 6 a.m.
Mowe to Sagamu Interchange at 7:30 a.m.
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Agege to Ikeja at 7 a.m.
Ikorodu to Maryland at 6 a.m.
Return trips will depart from drop-off points starting at 5:30 p.m. each evening.
“We want to ease the daily cost of transportation for workers while also offering spiritual upliftment through our devotional materials,” said a spokesperson for RCCG Youth Province 1.
“It’s a holistic approach to addressing both the physical and spiritual challenges many are currently facing.”
This new initiative follows the church’s September 2024 launch of a similar program, which also provided free transportation in major areas of Lagos and Ogun States.
The free bus initiative continues tomorrow (Monday, 14th October 2024) for commuters in the Mowe-Lagos axis.
Tell someone about it! pic.twitter.com/ZbH8gsIfYh
— RCCG PUBLIC RELATIONS (@RCCG_PR) October 13, 2024
Heavy flooding on Thursday completely cut off a major road connecting parts of the North-East states of Adamawa and Taraba, leaving passengers stranded.
The bridge, which links Lafiya Lamorde, a border town with Gombe State, was built with a heavy metal culvert to channel water.
However, the floodwaters washed away the remaining construction, making the road impassable for vehicles.
A stranded passenger, Adamu Dangombe, appealed to the Federal Government on Friday for urgent repairs, saying, “Some took the risk of crossing the washed-away part of the road after waiting for hours when the water pressure reduced while some others ended their journey by returning.
“The Federal Government should urgently prioritise the completion of the road. Yearly Federal Road Maintenance Agency wastes resources that would have been used to curb such occurrence.”
A driver, Muritala Hassan, affected by the road collapse, highlighted the social and economic setbacks caused by the damage, especially with the harvest season approaching.
“Taraba and Adamawa states are some of Nigeria’s known cattle rearers and have farmers producing many major food crops transported to different parts of the country and beyond. The Federal Government should urgently fix the road to reduce Nigeria’s rising food crisis,” Hassan added.
Meanwhile, the National Emergency Management Agency conducted an on-the-spot assessment of the damage.
In a statement shared on X.com, NEMA acknowledged the severe disruption to trade and travel caused by the collapse, which occurred in the Lamurde Local Government Area of Adamawa State.
“The incident has stranded commuters and goods, significantly affecting transportation between the two states,” NEMA noted. “The collapse likely resulted from structural weaknesses worsened by heavy seasonal rains.”
The Director-General of NEMA, Zubaida Umar, initiated a rapid assessment led by Mr Musa Yakubu from NEMA’s Yola office in collaboration with the Local Emergency Management Committee of Lamurde LGA.
Initial reports indicated that the damage severely impacted critical infrastructure, creating major transportation delays and safety risks.
NEMA said local residents were advised to avoid the area until further notice.
Commuters have appealed to the relevant authorities to fix the deplorable Asaba-Onitsha Expressway to ease the burden on motorists and residents.
When PUNCH Metro visited the collapsed section of the road, especially from the Koka flyover to the Asaba-Onitsha tollgate, on Thursday, our correspondent observed a complete failure of the road as motorists could hardly access it.
A taxi driver, Mr. Kingsley Uwa, lamented the deplorable state of the road, appealing to the federal and Delta State governments to come to the rescue of the road users by rehabilitating the road to stop the accidents that regularly occur along it.
He said, “It is bad that over four months now, we are suffering from this road without attention from the government.
“You can see the heavy traffic occasioned by the collapsed road. Everybody treks, or they must fall or hit another person because of the bad road. We are begging both the federal and state governments to help.”
Also, a shuttle bus driver, Mr. Charles Jibunor, called on the Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, to repair the failed portions of the road to ease the suffering of the indigenes.
He said, “The Governor of Delta State, Sheriff Oborevwori, plays deaf to the road. We know that it is a federal road, but it passes through Delta State.
“Imagine the look of the Delta State capital, Asaba. Most of the people plying the road are majorly Deltans, and he doesn’t care about our suffering.
“A journey of 20 minutes will take you over two hours because of traffic. Every day, we are in one mechanic or the other, even the traders at the building material along the road are suffering because of no patronage as a result of the bad road.”
Meanwhile, a rights activist, Mr. Victor Ojei, has petitioned the Federal Government following the groaning of commuters occasioned by the collapsed expressway.
In an open letter addressed to the Minister of Works, David Umahi, and the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency, Delta State, seen by PUNCH Metro on Thursday, Ojei called for immediate action on the road.
Ojei, who is the lead activist for Young Nigerian Rights Organisation, frowned upon the negligence of FERMA in the state.
“The Young Nigerian Rights Organisation, a civil society organisation committed to advocating the rights and well-being of citizens, expresses our deep concern regarding the alarming state of federal roads in Delta State. It is with a sense of urgency that we call on the Minister of Works and FERMA Delta State to account for their critical responsibility to ensure safe and passable roads for Nigerians.
“Despite the funds allocated for road maintenance, many federal roads in Delta State remain in deplorable conditions, posing significant risks to the lives of motorists, commuters, and residents.
“Numerous reports and complaints from road users highlight the hazards posed by potholes, erosion, and the neglect of critical infrastructure. These issues not only compromise road safety but also impede economic activities and development.”
He noted that as an agency tasked with maintaining federal roads, FERMA was mandated to regularly inspect, repair, and rehabilitate roads to ensure they meet acceptable standards, noting that the current situation in Delta State showed a clear dereliction of duty, with the people bearing the brunt of this failure.
“Explain the delay in addressing these long-standing road issues, especially along the Asaba-Benin Expressway (Koka flyover By Conoil junction, the Asaba-Onitsha Expressway, Ezenei Avenue by Bonsaac junction, the Asaba-Onitsha Expressway) in Delta State,” the petition concluded.
Ojei said the safety and well-being of Nigerian citizens must remain a top priority, urging FERMA to take swift and decisive action to fix the roads because “Failure to act will leave us with no option but to pursue further legal and public interest actions to ensure accountability.”
Residents in Port Harcourt and its environs in Rivers State are expressing frustration over the recent hike in the price of Premium Motor Spirit, otherwise known as fuel, which has led to an increase in fares.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation’s announcement of a pump price increase on Tuesday amidst a growing fuel scarcity in the country has sparked widespread discontent, with private car owners, commercial drivers, and commuters all sharing their plights in separate interviews with our correspondents.
A private car owner who runs a retail beverage business, who asked to remain anonymous, said, “To be very honest with you, the truth is always the truth, everybody knows what is happening in Nigeria right now, especially the economic situation. It’s affecting not only me but also everybody. What I bought from NTA Road for one litre is N1,300, which is not right. So, I think what we should do is number one, we make sure our refineries start working, because I think our economy is the fuel. If the price of fuel is coming down, definitely every other thing will come down.”
Another respondent who identified himself as Azubuike, a commercial tricycle (Keke) driver, said, “I bought N1,300 per litre and the fuel is not even up to that litre, the reduction and the price increase. So, it affects me a lot that I can’t even feed myself well. Even to pay my house rent, a very small amount but I can’t even pay that amount. Now, I’m a Keke driver, and even the passengers can’t even afford the money that we are telling them to pay. So we don’t know where to start and where to stop.
“I drive from Jorax filling station along NTA Road to that Mobile junction, on East-West Road that leads to Rumuokoro Roundabout . I load from there to that Mobile junction N300, sometimes N250 depending on the way they (passengers) beg me. Before, we charged N150, N200, N100, depending on the distance but the addition now is just N100. We are supposed to take up to N400, N500 but we are sympathising with ourselves.”
Also speaking, Anthony, a commuter who owns an auto repair shop, decried the situation saying, “Without being told, you see the situation of things, everywhere is very dry. See, I’m a mechanic, since morning, I haven’t even worked anything because of the fuel crisis. Since this fuel scarcity started, I know how I have been managing myself. I pay transport N1,000 every day to come to the shop and sit down without doing anything. It’s affecting me seriously.
“I stay at Choba, and pay N500 to my workshop at the NTA Road and N500 back. That’s N1,000 every day. Before this fuel crisis, I used to pay N150, to and fro, N300 but now it’s N1,000, you can check the difference, very much difference.”
On her part, a resident who identified herself as Gift, lamented how the hike had affected her, as she berated the government for its seeming nonchalance towards the plight of the people.
She said, “It has not been easy with the people. Like today, I wanted to go to Rumuola. I was supposed to pay N300 but they are saying N600 from NTA to Rumuola. I didn’t go because I couldn’t afford to go there and come back again with N600. I don’t have that kind of money. I have to stay back.
“The other day, I went to the market. Before we were paying N1,500 but now they said N3,000 to Mbiama market, but I didn’t go because I considered how much I would pay when I carry a load. I considered the amount in my pocket, but I didn’t go. So, the thing is affecting everybody. It has not been easy with everybody.”
Residents in Lagos State have lamented the hike in fares following the increase in the fuel price in the country.
PUNCH Metro gathered that the fare hike had left many commuters stranded and frustrated during daily rush hours.
Speaking with our correspondent on Thursday, the commuters said the development had affected their cost of living including transport.
Explaining how the hike in transport cost has affected her, Damilola, a Lagos resident, said, “The fuel scarcity has affected everyone in one way or the other. Before the hike, commuting from Ikeja to Yaba was N500, but now it’s N700. Now, when I’m going out, I have to be sure of where I’m going and be sure that who I’m going to meet is around so I won’t waste my time, energy, and money.
“The government should ensure the availability of fuel and diesel. There’s always traffic every day due to fuel scarcity and this affects people’s productivity.
“As a business owner, I now have to add the cost of transport to the cost of goods, and this makes them more expensive. I even heard that some people sleep in their offices during the week and go home on weekends. It’s that bad.”
A 400-level student of the University of Lagos currently doing her internship, identified as Esther, also explained her challenges since the fuel hike started.
“Before I started my IT, I already knew that I’d spend a lot on transport because my house is far from where I’m interning. So, I had saved up some money. But when the hike came, it caused an imbalance in my life because I had to start looking for more money. I had to take up more jobs to get more income and prevent myself from being stranded. Alternative transport would be trekking and that’s out of it.
“Living in Nigeria, you get used to these things, but the government should look into solutions for it. Rather than focusing on unnecessary things, their focus should be on finding lasting solutions to this issue of fuel scarcity because it is something that affects everyone including the government.
Favour, an intern in another organisation, also expressed displeasure with the state of things regarding transport.
“I live in Gbagada and work at the Airport Road side of Lagos. Earlier this year, I spent between N800 and N1000 on transport daily, but since the hike, I now spend about N1,400 and N1,600.
“It is as a result of the fuel scarcity, the government should do something about it”, she added.
When asked about the impact of the hike in transport cost, a commuter who pleaded anonymity said she had no choice but to pay whatever amount it was as she had to get to work. She wished that the government and employers would consider the extra costs and there would be an increment in wages and salaries.
Commuters are not the only ones feeling the brunt, motorists also have their share of challenges.
A motorist at Berger park identified as Mr Bakare, told our correspondent about the impact of the fuel scarcity on his business. According to him, business has been down because people only go out when they need to.
“I’ve been in this park since morning but there are no passengers because everyone is managing what they have, and no one is going out.
“Nigeria has refineries, so why are we suffering from fuel scarcity? The government, the NNPC and marketers should work on a lasting solution to this issue because everyone is suffering,” he said.
A tricycle rider, Joseph, lamented how he had to suffer for extra costs incurred while buying fuel.
“I have to wait for two to three hours to buy fuel and when I do, I have to pay extra to buy in a keg. Fuel is already expensive at N700 – N850 per litre, and I still pay extra to buy in a keg, yet I can’t increase my cost because passengers don’t want to pay extra. They would rather trek further to get it cheaper,” he bemoaned.
Motorists and commuters have lamented that the persisting fuel scarcity has caused long queues resulting in a hike in transport fares in Lagos and other parts of the country.
The fuel scarcity has caused long-drawn gridlocks around fuel stations in the state as motorists queue for hours to fill up their tanks with petrol at the few stations dispensing products.
PUNCH Metro reports that long queues have been building up at several petrol stations in Lagos since Friday and haven’t ceased.
One of our correspondents gathered that on Monday a few petrol stations that dispensed PMS sold it between N618/litre and N800/litre depending on the area of purchase, and due to this, there had been an increase in transport cost.
A bus driver, who simply identified himself as Mr Adeniyi, who spoke to one of our correspondents at the Ogba Bustop, Ikeja lamented the struggle to get fuel and justified the fare hike, which had increased from N300 to N400 from Ogba to Ikeja Underbridge.
“The increase in transport cost is not our fault. We sleep at petrol stations just because we want to buy fuel and do our business. Things are hard, and people should understand it is not our fault,” he said.
A commuter, Miss Anne Ono, complained about the increase in fares and expressed her dissatisfaction.
“It is affecting everyone, not only drivers. It is honestly tiring, you come out every day and the fare has changed. It has either increased or it is fluctuating,” she told PUNCH Metro.
A minibus driver plying the Ketu to Ikeja route in Lagos also lamented the increase in fuel price saying this had affected his profitability.
“It is affecting us seriously. If the fuel price returns to the previous price, things would be better. When I worked before, from Ketu to Ikeja, I could buy fuel N3,000 to fill up my tank, but now it is N40,000 to fill up my tank. If I take four trips, I won’t make any gains because I would still have to buy more fuel. Now, once I buy fuel, it is as if I did not make any gain, because the money I have left would be small. It is not easy, we are just managing, and there is nothing we can do. It is affecting us,” he lamented.
Our correspondents observed that at several filling stations in Lagos, there were long queues and some of the drivers had been in the queues for hours just to fill up their tanks.
One of the drivers, Mr Emeka, complained about the stress of waiting in the queue.
He said, “It is not easy, we have been here since 11:00 am unless you want to buy from the black market for N1,200 and above or some filling station that sells for N800 or N700, you have to queue. It’s seriously stressful.
Another motorist complained about the situation stating that drivers who weren’t patient in queues at filling stations ended up buying fuel from the black market at a higher rate.
“It is affecting us. Previously, we could buy fuel of N4000 and we worked with hopes to buy fuel at the next filling station after four or five trips. Now, you pay N20,000 to get petrol for the day, and you might not even get passengers after using that amount to buy fuel. We spend more on fuel, some filling stations are selling for N850, and sometimes, you have to look for cheap petrol stations unless you are in a hurry. If you are not, you have to queue. This morning I went to buy PMS at a Mobile filling station in Ikeja.. I had to queue from 4:00 am to 11:00 am, and bought it for N618 per litre, but wasted time that I would have used to make some money to buy fuel. So, it is not easy,” he said.
It was reported on Sunday that black marketers had taken advantage of the situation, selling as high as N1,300 per litre and N1,500 per litre in parts of Lagos and Ogun states.
On Saturday, while reacting to the long queues and scarcity in some parts of the country, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited said the tightness in fuel supply and distribution was caused by a hitch in the discharge operations of a couple of vessels.
“The NNPC Ltd wishes to state that the tightness in fuel supply and distribution witnessed in some parts of Lagos and the FCT is a result of a hitch in the discharge operations of a couple of vessels,” the NNPC Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Olufemi Soneye, said. The company added that it was “Working round the clock with all stakeholders to resolve the situation and restore normalcy in the operations.”