Fuel scarcity: Nigerians Bemoan Over High Cost Of Living

Balikis Busari

Nigerians are lamenting over the high cost of living as a result of fuel scarcity. Increase in the prices of food, cloth, and other items owing to the persistent scarcity of fuel.

People show concern over the rising price and scarcity of fuel which has led to an increase in transportation fares across the Lagos metropolis.

Alade Adesoji, a businessman said,
“We can’t commute frequently now because of the high cost of transportation owing to fuel scarcity;

Nigeria’s food inflation is surging out of control even as global food prices are tumbling, he added.

Janet Alfred, a food vendor said, palm oil, one of the food items that Nigeria once had global production control, is now too expensive for the poor. The price of four litres of palm oil has climbed from N4,000 to N5,500.

The price of a 50kg bag of rice has risen to N44,000. Nine months ago, the same quantity of rice was sold for N27,000. A medium size tuber of yam now sells for N3,000 as against N1,500 in the first quarter of 2021, she added.

The price of a standard loaf of bread has surged from N500 in the first quarter of 2022 to N700. Some dare-devil bakers sell as high as N800, she lamented.

The high cost of living in Nigeria is making Lagosians discard waste in gutters canals, and roadsides, contributing to environmental degradation and health concerns, in a bid to cut down on their spending.

The situation is now threatening the businesses of Private Sector Participators (PSPs) in waste management, who are already struggling with the high cost of diesel, hydraulic and engine oil, as Lagosians avoid paying for their services due to the high cost of living.

A lady, who simply identified herself as Bola and lives in Amukoko, said she stopped paying her waste bill because it increased to N1000. “What I do is burn the waste, instead of paying. The economy is unbearable.”

“The ones I cannot burn, I dispose of them by the side of the street where there are piles of dirt or in the gutters when it rains,” Bola said.

A bus driver, John Mathew told our reporters that the rise in the price of fuel had led to a drop in several passengers, as some people resolved to trek instead of taking buses.

He also explained that the cost of vehicle spare parts had increased.

Tope Adeniji, a baker said prices of materials for making bread had increased due to the cost of transporting the raw materials and the finished goods to the market.

On food, Mr Ndubisi who owns a food store along the Command-Ipaja Road observed that most people were sad about the condition of things with the belief that the government was not considerate regarding the general state of business.

Debbie Afolayan, a student said ” The price of Okrika clothes is now high due to the cost of transportation.

Okrika clothes are 200-500 depending on the quality but are now 1000-1500, she explained.

A trader who spoke on condition of anonymity blamed the rising cost of transportation on the rise in chicken feed and chicken which averagely cost N12,000. She said their feed cost N10,000 per bag that will feed 16 chickens for up to five days.

Toyin Williams, a single mother said, My children, are being driven home from school because of the school levy.

To put food in our mouths has become difficult talkless of paying school dues, she added.

A Cybercafe operator, Mr Okwuchi described electricity as the soul of the business and every business. He said the rising cost of fuel coupled with poor power supply made their operations very difficult to survive.

He said the price of materials which they used for printing had also gone up, while they had to adjust the price they charged for their services- for example, what they charged for printing a page of a document on plain paper had gone up from N100 to N300 and to print on a Conqueror paper, they charged N500.