By Muideen A. Ibrahim (MAI)
Petrol is now N185.00 per litre officially unfortunately it is now sold by the majority of the filling stations at the rate of N270.00 or N280.00 or N290.00 or even N300.00 per liter depending on your location and the disposition of the owner of the filling station.
As it were, only Bovas is selling at the official rate before the latest increase.
Though the government has denied the increase.
The screaming headline on the front page of today’s Saturday Punch 21st January, 2023 is ” Confusion as FG Denies Petrol Price Hike, Marketers Seek Deregulation.”
The situation is really pathetic and Nigerians are feeling the heat seriously whereas the end is not yet in sight.
This is principally due to the fact that any increase in petrol has spiral effects on goods and services. Unfortunately it will bounce heavily on the people immediately.
Nigerians are suffering seriously and what we are passing through can better be imagined than described.
The disposable income of an average Nigerian is getting thinner by the day. Hence Nigerians are becoming more poorer. This has made most Nigerians to turn into corporate beggars. Really sad and disheartening.
Frankly speaking, it is all about leadership!
The timing of the latest increment is very wrong and ill conceived!
Unfortunately this is not what APC promised us in 2015 and 2019. Is this the Change and High Level the party promised Nigerians?
We did not bargain for this type of situation at all.
Unfortunately no government official has spoken on the next line of action or on palliative measures that woulid be put in place.
Rather they are passing the bulk.
No one has been held responsible for the latest fake increment since the government has denied it.
Is the country auto driven now?
The government as a matter of utmost urgency should look into the latest increment and do the needful in order to alleviate the sufferings of Nigerians. Since there are no social benefits in place in any form.
The situation is now becoming unbearable and no longer a laughing matter at all.
But I salute the sagacity of Nigerians because we all have Self Adjustment Mechanism (SAM).
This is because the fuel scarcity started about 3 months ago and the end is not yet in sight yet we have been bearing the hardship.
The government should find a lasting solution to the imbroglio in the oil sector instead of the undue rigmarole, unnecessary lip service and bulk passing so that Nigerians can live better since the standard of living is too poor and giving everyone serious concern.
Diesel is a no go area at all, now sold at N850.00 or more per litre. This is seriously affecting the Manufacturers. Why can’t the government give the Manufacturers enabling environment so that they can produce more, employe more Nigerians, transfer technology to the country, export their goods and earn foreign exchange so that the pressure on forex would be a thing of the past.
Not only that, the country would be a producing nation the moment more Nigerians are into Manufacturing. This will in turn contribute tremendously to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the long run.
Infact, Manufacturing is one of the key sectors of the economy that the government should consider and key into because of the immense benefits therein.
In the light of the foregoing, the government should as a matter of utmost urgency have a roundtable discussion with the Manufacturers in order to chart a way forward. This is because the Manufacturing Sector needs urgent reform with good policies.
It should be noted that hunger, poverty, insecurity, low mortality rate, poor healthcare system, low life expectancy rate and poor education amongst others are not the dreams of our Founding Fathers. So when and where did we get it wrong as a Nation? It is all about leadership.
We need to regig ourselves.
Let’s fix Nigeria please, so that life can be better for everyone instead of this lopsidedness, sheer wickedness and insensitivity from the government. Because the government is unperturbed with what Nigerians are experiencing at the moment.
God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria!
It is well!
MAI is a Manufacturer.
