Hundreds of tricycle operators took to the streets of Kano State yesterday to protest the recent hike in petrol prices.
The price of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, commonly known as petrol, has surged to as high as N1,200 per liter at some filling stations, while the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, is selling it for N904 per liter in the state.
The protesting operators gathered around the Dangi Bridge in Kano, causing significant traffic disruptions for several hours.
Commuters and motorists were left stranded as the tricycle operators abandoned the roads to join long queues for fuel, while passengers voiced their frustrations over the steep price increase.
One operator, Abdulazeez Ibrahim, recalled, “I remember when I used to buy petrol for N95. During the late President Shehu Musa Yar’adua’s administration, there was a time when we went to buy fuel, and the process was suddenly halted.”
“We all thought it was going to be increased but they adjusted the litre to N65. It was something that I would never forget in my life. When things go up, they never come down in Nigeria and since then it has been like that.
“Where are we heading to in this country? How do we survive now? It is very unfortunate that we are witnessing this in this country.”
A passenger, Ramatu Aminu was seen lamenting, saying “I usually board tricycle from Gyadi-Gyadi to Hotoro junction between N150 and N200 before but today the tricycle charged me N300. The price is high and the tricycle operator attributed it to the petrol hike. Infact, a lot of passengers were stranded on the road as there were no tricycles plying the road,”
The situation in Jigawa State mirrors that of Kano, with petrol prices soaring to N1,350 per liter in Dutse.
Aliyu Katsina, a motorist in Dutse, reported that he had previously purchased fuel at N1,150 per liter, only to find out that the price had since risen to N1,350.
“I bought the fuel for N1, 150 this morning but my colleague who went to the same filing station in the afternoon told me he got the fuel for N1, 350. That was an increment of N300. It is unfortunate,” Katsina stated.
(allnews.ng)
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