Residents of Katsina State, in particular small business owners, are lamenting increased prices of goods and transportation as a result of fuel subsidy removal by the federal government.
The president Bola Ahmed Tinubu on resumption to office on May 29th, announced that the federal government would no longer pay for the subsidised pump price, which led to a hike of fuel pump prices by marketers to about N550 to N600 per litre at filling stations.
Already, traders and commercial drivers in the state are feeling the hardship caused by the sudden change in price of commodities, forcing them to also transact goods at high prices just to meet up with the current situation.
A trader of foodstuff inside the central market of Katsina, Alhaji Umar Sale, told me everything happened according to the plan and purpose of God which is beyond human understanding, explaining that in spite of trucks used to convey his goods, it was still expensive than before.
He added that even though the effect is not too tough on his side, because trucks used diesel and not Petrol Motor Spirit (PMS), but people living in the villages where small vehicles convey their goods to the village are hard hit.
A Katsina resident, Sulaiman Lawal, also told me that ever since removal of fuel subsidy, market has dropped because of the increase in price on goods. ” Whenever someone comes and price our products, he will turn back and leave without buying because of the price. Some will say they don’t have the money.”
Similarly, the state chairman of the National Union of Road Workers Transport (NURTW), Alhaji Musa Yandoma, who spoke through the treasurer of the union, Abdullahi Dandume, said the removal of fuel subsidy has brought suffering to the drivers and the people.
Explaining that even though prominent Nigerians saw reasons for the removal of the subsidy, the poor and common people don’t understand that terminology, all they know is the hardship caused by the decision.
” I also share the same opinion, because it brought a lot of hardship to us. For instance, where I normally buy fuel for N10,000 is now N25,000, which has also made me charge passengers high and a lot of them are lamenting the cost of transportation.
” We don’t have much patronage because people don’t want to travel anymore, especially this time, because of the cost of fuel which increased transport fare and goods in the market.
“We are convinced with the explanation of the federal government on the removal, but we want the government to do all within its means to alleviate the suffering of the poor people.
“Likewise, the government should also repair all our refineries. I know when Dangote’s refinery begins operation, the price of fuel will come down”, he said.
Governor Umar Dikko Radda has recently instructed the state transport authority not to increase the intra-transport fare in the state, assuring to provide additional mass transit services to ease the suffering of the people.
