Following a recent publication on this platform about the effect of the Russia – Ukraine war, the writer pointed out the fact that the unrest between these two countries will eventually lead to a hike in fuel prices here in Nigeria.
Few days after this publication and here we are, as currently, the official fuel price in Nigeria is #165. Although in Nigeria, some petrol stations will sell at a higher rate.
The sudden hike in fuel prices has resulted in a high cost of transportation. People are paying through their teeth to move from one place to the other. I almost shouted at the park when I heard the bus fare from Enugu to Owerri. It’s that serious. Due to the rise in transportation costs, the cost of commodities has also skyrocketed.
A trip to the market a few days ago, opened my eyes to how bad things were. These goods are being transported and no businessman wants to bear all the loss. So traders heap the transport cost of receiving these commodities on the price of the commodities. And just like that, the price of food and other goods and services are way above an average Nigerian’s income.
It is indeed a sorry situation, inflation is about to reach its peak. The value of Naira keeps diminishing by the day. Living in Nigeria now is nothing short of a miracle. Let’s not just talk about the standard of living. Most of the population is living below standard. The situation is particularly tough on salary earners. As salaries seem to remain static while every other thing is on the rise. The majority of salary earners complain of spending a huge part of their salaries on transportation to and from their workplaces. Which results in them having little left for other expenses.
The unrest in Russia and Ukraine can be compared to the unrest going on here. The high price of goods and services coupled with insurgency and the high crime rate have left the people quite unsettled. Although this situation is nobody’s fault, people would always want to blame someone. And we all know where the blame will go. The government of course. It is therefore necessary that the government rise to the occasion and help salvage the situation. If fuel price can be managed to a reasonable degree, the price of food and other commodities will be reduced.
While the government is battling insurgency and crime, they should not forget that if there are no people, there’s no country and nobody to enjoy a crime-free country. The government’s priority should be the people. And right now the people need their government more than ever.
