Low Traffic on Akwa Ibom Streets over Hike in Fuel Product

Okon Bassey in Uyo

Traffic has drastically reduced in the streets of Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, and other major towns in the state due to continuous increase in the price of fuel in the last two weeks.

Petrol in the state is now sold for over N350 in few stations dispensing the product against N165 sold per litre some months ago.

This development has reportedly resulted in fewer vehicles now seen on the roads as few private vehicle owners and commercial vehicle operators could not afford the product.

This has caused some passengers resorting to trekking while many have reduced the frequency of their journeys because of high cost of transportation being experienced in the state.

Many indigenes of the state who returned home for the Christmas celebrations appear to be stranded as transportation cost from Uyo to Lagos by commercial bus is now N30,000 against N15,000 previously charged at the beginning of last month.

The state government had said it procured about 1.5million litres of fuel by special arrangement to be dispensed by independent marketers but this has not brought the desired relief as the marketers have continued to operate without any control or supervision.

Residents have expressed reservations and disgust over a directive by the Chairman of the state Task Force on Petroleum Monitoring, Mr. Victor Etefia, asking them to report stations dispensing at more than N300 per litre, arguing that such directive was illegal as the federal government is yet to announce an increase in the price of the product.

A commercial bus driver, who identified himself as Ubong Eddie, expressed anger over what he described as a subtle introduction of a new price regime of N300 per litre by marketers in the state, and wondered why regulatory agencies have done nothing to bring the marketers to order.

According to him, “The chairman of the task force is a fuel dealer and you don’t expect him to be on the side of commuters. Okay, since they started selling at N300 and now N350 per litre have you seen a fueling station that has been punished?

“Things are just going out of control and the government agencies that are supposed to monitor the activities of these independent marketers seem helpless. Have you not seen that there are few vehicles on the road?

“The private ones are very few and we the commercial vehicle drivers are finding it difficult to cope with the current price because the passengers are not finding it funny whenever we tell them the price for the journey they want to make. It is really a difficult situation.”

Meanwhile, there has been no explanation from relevant authorities as to the sudden price hike even as the product is sold for less than N300 in neighbouring Cross River and Rivers States.

Akwa Ibom State is currently accounting for about 40 percent of crude oil production in Nigeria.

The state has no fuel depot or refinery while marketers source for their products from the depots in Calabar and Port Harcourt.