Residents of Abakaliki have appealed to the Federal Government to urgently address the crisis in the petroleum sector and halt the rising price of Premium Motor Spirit, otherwise called petrol.
The people spoke in separate interviews on Monday, they described the situation as unfortunate and causing untold sufferings and hardship to the people.
They said that the astronomical price of petrol in Ebonyi and other South-East states was having negative impact on the socio-economic life of the people.
They argued that the development had brought the economy of the area on its knee with the cost of transportation of good and services hitting the rooftops.
A civil servant, Mr Sylvester Ade, said: “The energy crisis is getting out of control.
“Already, prices of goods and services are increasingly getting beyond the reach of the ordinary people.
Ade further said that the frequent adjustments in the pump price of petrol by filling stations amounted to economic crime.
He regretted that the price of the commodity had been on a steady rise since November 2022.
According to him, the development has caused excruciating economic pain to the average Nigerian.
He said: “A litre of petrol, which sold for N180 in November has been on a steady rise.
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“It moved up to N270 and N290 in December and now goes for about N350 and N400 this January.
“This situation is unacceptable because it is frustrating everything in this country.
“Workers, businesses and developmental projects are affected and suffering,” Ade said.
Another resident, Mr Greg Okorie, wondered why the Federal Government allowed a sudden unofficial hike in petroleum pump prices.
Okorie argued that petrol is still a regulated commodity, hence people could not understand the reason for the current development.
“This is why the appropriate authorities should take action immediately to stop the current economic torture due to the astronomical price of petrol,” he said.
Mrs Nkechi Madu, who is based in Ekiti, expressed dissatisfaction over the development.
Madu said that the hike in transport fare arising from the price of petrol had rendered many people stranded after their Yuletide home-coming.
She said that she was particularly affected, adding that she could no longer afford to pay her fare with her family’s back to Ekiti.
She said that hundreds of other families were equally stranded since they could not afford the high fare back to their respective places of abode.
“It will cost me roughly N80,000 fare back to Ekiti with my four children. Where will I get such money?
“I saw people on the highways seeking to be offered free ride back to their destinations.
“President Muhammadu Buhari should address the nation on the fuel crisis.“We also plead with relevant authorities to take urgent steps to bring the situation to normal,” Madu said.
