Tinubu’s careless utterance has engendered fuel scarcity, say angry Nigerians

LEKKI, Lagos – Nigerians are very angry just 24 hours after Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu was sworn in as President.  They are gathering in petrol stations all over the country having discussions. They are discussing the consequence of Tinubu’s inauguration utterance that fuel subsidy is over.

They are discussing it because owners of petrol stations across the nation have reacted very sharply to his utterance, which many described as very careless on inauguration day and have adjusted the pump price of petrol to N600 and N500 per litre even as transport fare has skyrocketed.

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“Since last night, we now charge N1500 from Obalende to Ajah, and N500 or N400 from Jakande to Ajah depending on the situation, Kehinde Babatunde, a transporter told our reporter, and he added prices of goods will soon respond, with a corresponding hike in inflation.

The conversation

At the petrol stations, the conversation is purely on the decision of Tinubu to just go on air and announce that fuel subsidy is over.

“This is very insensitive. How can Tinubu just announce that fuel subsidy is over on inauguration day without any policy to the effect that this is how we are going to do it, and state the price that the product will now be sold. It is a very terrible way for him to start because this is very emotional. People are reacting emotionally to the situation, they even want to fight, taking their anger on innocent people that have come here to buy fuel”, Yetunde Ayeni, told our correspondent at Total on the Lekki axis.

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“They are not selling because the president has left all of us in suspense. They don’t know what to do, until he makes another statement and the statement has to first rectify this suspense by returning the pump price of petrol to N165 per liter before his careless utterance”, Ayeni, added, stressing that Nigerians have been having conversation around the subject and that he could have made a very rounded policy surrounding this fuel subsidy removal, she said.

Patrick added that Tinubu seems to be interested in where he will make money, not making things easy for Nigerians. He did not even see, electricity, bad roads, but just Petrol where he can make money to compensate for the billions he spent on election. What a way to start”, he said.

Total was selling but all of a sudden stopped dispensing fuel but the pump price remains N165 per litre with a very long vehicle queue in front of the petrol Station. Conoil, just few metres away sells at N500 per liter even with long queues.

At Mobil, on the Lekki axis, there is also a very long queue but it is just not dispensing fuel, hitherto with Eternal Oil, which is just a stone throw away from Mobile and that is the sorry story across the nation.

Tinubu has started on a very wrong note. “Baba, you say you want to be President. Do the presidential”, Seun Kuti advises, stressing that Tinubu must make a statement to reverse the price to what it was before he was inaugurated.

“We want to see Tinubu make a statement and reverse the price to where it was, now now, we don suffer fuel scarcity without a corresponding policy to back up the statement he has made, the policy must favour the people of this country and Nigerians must not suffer while billionaires dance amapiano to the bank. You said your policy must be different and that Buhari does not listen.  It is time to hit the ground running”, Seun Kuti tells Tinubu.