A litre of fuel is now sold between two hundred and eighty Naira and three hundred Naira in Awka, the Anambra State Capital.
The development, some residents said, have made them apprehensive of what the cost of living will be this new year, 2023.
This is because cost of transportation, food items, building materials, and other essential commodity has been increasing without any regulation or control from the government.
Radio Nigeria correspondent, Uche Ndeke, reports that some of the people traveling for the festivities spent between five and six hours on the queue on Saturday at the NNPC filling station Awka before they were informed the commodity was not available.
Interacting with Radio Nigeria, some of the motorists narrated that they came out as early as half past five last Saturday morning to queue up at the NNPC filling station with the hope that they will dispense fuel since it was a day to the new year celebration.
While they were waiting, the line kept increasing as people hoped to buy the commodity at one hundred and eighty naira as against the three hundred naira most of other petrol stations were selling.
But, that was not to be. After over five to six hours on the queue, the people were informed that the fuel they had all queued for was not available.
Few hours later after they dispersed in anger and frustration, our correspondent drove through the same NNPC only to observe that the product was being dispensed to three vehicles by the same station.
When approached, the supervisor claimed that there was no fuel and that what was being dispensed to those vehicles was reserved.
Leaving in anger, the commuters got a wind that a particular petrol station before the Anambra state fire service office in Awka was dispensing at two hundred and twenty naira per litre and they all rushed to the place where the line was almost stretched at the Government House axis of the Enugu Onitsha highway.
The manager who was dispensing alone, since his pump attendants had traveled for the yuletide, issued numbers to some vehicles on the queue, claiming that he could not attend to all the people on the queue.
Cost of transportation, goods and services keeps skyrocketing by the day as the providers complain that things may get out of hand this new year if government does not take urgent measures to address the situation .
Speaking with Radio Nigeria, Mr Paul Okolo regretted that the hike has continued to take its toll on business as prices increase without control.
Another resident, Miss Ifunanya Ene narrated that the situation has adversely affected her daily expenditure as transportation fare increases per drop.
A Public Affairs Analyst, Comrade Obi Ochije, described the present situation as a shameful outcome for a country like Nigeria to be battling with scarcity of a product they have in abundance.
Comrade Ochije remarked that if nothing was done urgently by the federal government, majority of those who traveled home for the yuletide and New Year celebrations may be stranded due to high cost of transportation.
Another consumer, Mrs Chinyere Osita, appealed to the federal government to fix the nation’s refineries instead of allowing its citizens to languish in pains every now and then.
The respondents regreted that in the face of the challenges and increase, the government was not making any pronouncement, explanations or taking drastic steps to address the situation which they fear will negatively impact their lives this new year.
