As fuel price hike begins to take effect on general pries, some Nigerians have begun to react about the development.
The pump price of petrol adjusted upwards to over N1, 400 per litre and this development has left a lot of negative repercussions.
Organisations as much as individuals are already reacting to the development, most expressing their opposition to upward price adjustment.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has immediately warned that higher transportation costs translate to higher prices for all essential items.
In a statement by its president, Joe Ajaero, it mentioned these to include food, rent, school fees and other essential goods and services across the country.
“As a nation, and as a people endowed with enormous fossil resources, we are deserving of a certain level of protection or buffer against the gales from the Gulf, and indeed, other gales.
“There is nothing wrong with the government subsidising the needs of citizens, especially in emergencies like this”, Ajaero argued.
He added that oil-producing countries were introducing different forms of intervention or palliatives to protect their citizens from the effects of the current global energy crisis.
The latest adjustment followed a recent N85 increase in Dangote Petroleum Refinery’s gantry price, from N1,265 to N1,350 per litre, amid a surge in global crude oil prices.
Brent crude is currently trading at 108.60 dollars per barrel as of Thursday, representing a 2.79 per cent increase, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose by 4.42 per cent to 105.90 dollars per barrel.
The increase has intensified pressure on downstream operators and triggered further adjustments in petrol prices across the FCT.
Checks by the NAN on Thursday in Abuja showed that fuel price hike becoming common at more filling stations.
MRS filling station sold petrol at N1,395 per litre, while Salbas sold at N1,430, Energy Empire at N1,445, Afdin filling station at N1,450 and AY Shafa retail outlet at N1,430 per litre.
The development has forced motorists to pay more for petrol, while commuters have also complained about increases in transportation fares and other living costs.
A motorist in Dutse, Mr Chris Chukwuma, said he bought petrol at N1,430 per litre, lamenting the growing financial pressure caused by soaring fuel prices.
Another motorist in Lugbe, Mr Haruna Sagir, said he bought petrol at an AY Shafa filling station for N1,430 per litre.
He said the impact of rising fuel costs extended beyond transportation to other aspects of daily life.
Another commuter, Doris Atere, said that many people were struggling to cope with the ripple effects of fuel price hike on their livelihoods.
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“I find it very difficult to move around for my daily bread again because of the increase in transportation,” she said.
Another motorist, Mr Toba Obatere, said he hardly went out anymore and found it increasingly difficult to feed his family because of the high cost of goods.
“When you get to the market, traders too are complaining that things are high because of the increase in fuel prices,” he said.
He called on the Federal Government to urgently intervene by stabilising fuel prices.
A commuter in Kubwa, Mr James Adewale, said transportation from Kubwa to Wuse now costs N1,300 due to the hike in petrol prices.
He said the increase in fuel prices would continue to make foodstuffs more expensive because traders would seek to recover higher transportation costs and still make a profit.
He also called on the Federal Government to intervene and stabilise fuel prices to ease the economic burden on Nigerians.
