Fuel Price Hike Takes Toll On Benue Farmers, Businesses  

The removal of fuel subsidy which led to the sudden increase in the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) has taken a negative toll on residents of the Benue State especially civil servants majority of whom have stopped going to the office because of increase in transport fare.

Farmers, consumers and even businessmen and women are not spared from the hardship occasioned by subsidy removal.

In an interview with LEADERSHIP, a civil servant who do not want her name in print said her landlord was at the verge of throwing her out of the house since she cannot afford to pay her rent again and she has exhausted every avenue of pleading with him to give her more time in order to pay up.

According to her, “My landlord is always telling me that if we are not being paid why are we still going to work even though we can’t fuel our Toyota Corolla and can’t buy food due to the increase in price. I have decided not to go to the office again till I start seeing alerts.”

A rice farmer, Torngu Answem on his part, said due to subsidy removal he can no longer afford to fuel his car and tractor to go to the farm which is about 150 kilometers away from where he is staying. He appealed to the government at all levels to come to the aid of farmers to avoid food shortage next year.

Also, a business woman, Mercy Oyale who roasts maize and buys pepper, tomatoes and mango and waybill to other states for sale said the whole of this season she was unable to make profit to pay her children’s school fees as she used to do due to increase in the pump price of PMS.

“I am even tired of the market this year. Before we were paying N1000 per basket of tomatoes and pepper now a basket is going for over N4000. The little one I sent 30,000 was removed as transport and you must pay taxes, loading and offloading among other things so at the end of it all I am operating at a loss.

“So, if there is any way the federal government can help the small scale businessmen and women to make profit we will be glad because the money we are using for this business is loan,” she said.

LEADERSHIP observed that most workers in the state, especially those on essential duties have resorted to trekking to their offices. Only few vehicles are seen on the trunk ‘A’ roads and other roads within the state.

Wurukum Market located along Gboko Makurdi road that is usually congested due to gridlock is now deserted. Most town service buses have packed their vehicles due to lack of passengers.