…with petrol pump prices ranging from ₦1,100 to ₦1,200 per litre.
ANAMBRA, NIGERIA- The iNews Times | The price of petrol climbed to about ₦1,200 per litre in parts of Anambra State over the weekend, leading to a sharp rise in transportation fares for both intra- and inter-state travel.
Checks by our correspondent across major cities such as Onitsha, Nnewi, Ekwulobia and parts of Awka between Saturday and Sunday showed that many filling stations were not dispensing fuel, while the few that sold the product recorded long queues, with petrol pump prices ranging from ₦1,100 to ₦1,200 per litre.
Mega and mini retail outlets of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited in Awka and other major marketers were largely shut to customers on Sunday, and some of those that opened did not dispense petrol.
Two stations, Altrac Filling Station and Hanaco, located along the Onitsha–Awka Expressway displayed pump prices of ₦1,150 per litre on Sunday, attracting a small number of buyers.
Motorists and commuters decried the persistent increase in petrol prices, saying it has worsened transportation costs and living conditions.
The iNews Times gathered that intra-city transport fares rose by more than 50 per cent, with operators charging ₦300 for routes that previously cost ₦200, while fares that were ₦500 increased to about ₦700.
At the Upper Iweka Motor Park in Onitsha, transporters charged about ₦2,000 for trips from Onitsha to Awka, compared with the previous range of ₦1,000 to ₦1,500. Travellers heading to neighbouring states also faced similar increases.
At the Ekwulobia Motor Park, fares from Igboukwu to Nkpor and Onitsha jumped to ₦4,000 from ₦2,000, leaving many commuters stranded.
The development also pushed up the cost of goods and services in markets visited, with traders and service providers linking the increase to rising fuel and transportation expenses.
Commuters travelling to and from churches and other events were seen arguing with commercial drivers over the new fares, while some opted to trek to their destinations.
Transport operators blamed the fare hike on the rising cost of petrol, noting that the situation had worsened in recent days.
A commercial driver at Solution Park in Awka, Chukwudi Ezeh, said, “The increase in fares is expected because of the frequent rise in the pump price of petrol.
“The hike began early last week when petrol moved from ₦860 to ₦960 and continued until it reached about ₦1,200 over the weekend.
“The rise in transport fares is not our fault. We maintained the same fares even as petrol prices kept increasing daily until we could no longer shoulder the burden alone.
“Passengers should bear with us. Transport fares will return to normal once fuel prices stabilise.”
Another transporter at Nnewi Triangle Park, Chidi Onyekachukwu, said the development had reduced drivers’ earnings.
“Our daily income has been seriously affected by the rise in fuel prices. To cover these costs, we had to increase fares slightly so we can still make a take-home income.
“The government needs to address the situation. Petrol prices have been unstable in the past few days, which is worrying,” he said.
A commuter at Star Sunny Park in Onitsha, Ifeoma Obiora, a civil servant who lives in Onitsha but works in Awka, said she paid ₦2,000 for a one-way trip during the week, compared with ₦1,500 previously.
“The rise in transport fares has placed additional pressure on household finances. To make matters worse, we have been without electricity for weeks, forcing many people to depend on petrol-powered generators to pump water and run basic appliances.
“The Federal Government should intervene in the petrol price and electricity situation to ease the hardship faced by ordinary Nigerians,” she said.
Another commuter in Onitsha, Mama Chisom, said she bought petrol for ₦1,200 per litre to power her generator because of persistent power outages.
“This is terrible. We don’t know how this week will look if the price continues to rise the way it did last week,” she said.
Some members of the umbrella body of transport operators in the state, the Anambra Drivers Union, who spoke in separate interviews, expressed optimism that the situation would normalise before the end of the week.
However, the Chairman of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Enugu Zone, Chinedu Anyaso, blamed the increase on a hike at the supply source.
Anyaso, who oversees Anambra, Ebonyi and Enugu states, said the rise in pump price was neither arbitrary nor the fault of marketers.
“The price of PMS increased because Dangote, our major supplier, added about ₦110 to every litre.
“So the hike is not artificial or arbitrary; it reflects the current reality in the supply chain,” he said.
