Motorists and residents of Enugu metropolis and indeed the entire state are now groaning over the scarcity of petrol as most filling stations do not have supply whereas those that have the product sell at exorbitant prices.
Blueprint findings showed that, while some stations are selling the product between N350 and N400, some others are under lock and key.
As a result of the continuous increase in the petrol price, commercial drivers have equally hiked transport fare that a drop, no matter how short now attracts N100.
A driver told Blueprint that on Monday he bought petrol in Nsukka for N400 a litre whereas the last time he bought for N350 in Enugu.
The worst hit are civil servants whose salaries are fixed as they pay through their nose to go to work.
“The hike in price has been affecting me seriously. Instead of using my car, I now board commercial vehicle. How can I fuel my car when petrol price has continued to soar while my salary remains stagnant,” laments a civil servant at grade level ten.
“This morning, I gave my children N1,000 for them to go to school because it is cheaper for me to use the public transport than for me to use my vehicle for school run,” a parent lamented.
However, the chairman of Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Chinedu Anyaso, said what brought about the hike in petrol pump price is because they found it difficult to get supply.
“We are not seeing the product anywhere to buy. You journalists should tell us where to get the product so that we shall go there and buy,” Anyaso said.
The fuel scarcity, coupled with the hike in price has forced residents to gather at bus stops while some other trekk to their destination.
