Vehicle owners and commuters across the country have decried the increment in pump price of petrol.
A vehicle owner, Victor Olaniyi, said the increment caught him unawares and had left him frustrated.
“I usually fill my tank once a week and I was supposed to fill it on Tuesday but I was unable to and I had to buy fuel at N162 today (yesterday). I believe the increment is much,” he said.
A private cab operator, Taiwo Balogun, said he usually picked people from Ikeja to G.R.A for N150 but increased the fare to N200 per passenger due to the fuel increment.
A businesswoman, Ms Joy Ibe said she paid N500 from Iyana Ipaja to Oshodi, a journey that usually cost between N300 to N400 depending on the time of the day.
Another commuter, Michael Bamidele, said his plan was to commute with the BRT buses because they were cheaper than the commercial ones
“I leave very early to work now and join BRT. This morning, they (commercial buses) were carrying Iyana Ipaja to Oshodi at N400 while BRT which is faster is N300. The queue is now very long because everybody prefers waiting than being exploited by the commercial buses,” he explained.
Marketers had attributed the increment of the ex-depot price from N138.62k in August to N151.56k in September to market forces due to the deregulation of PMS by the government.
As a way out of the rising cost, the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) has advised Nigerians to use Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) as an alternative to petrol and diesel in their vehicles for cost effectiveness and efficiency.
Chief Executive Officer of DPR, Sarki Auwalu, gave the advice when the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, paid an official visit to the headquarters of the department in Lagos.
Auwalu said vehicle owners could also use Liquefied Natural Gas (LPG) as alternative, which covers more kilometres on a comparative basis.
He said the gas products, which are cheaper and more effective, were available in Nigeria.
According to him, the petroleum industry regulatory and records maintaining agency is pushing for price freedom so that people can have choices on the type of fuel they want to use.
“The CNG tank will give you the alternative. It is interesting to know that if you buy CNG equivalent of N10,000 to diesel or petrol, the gas will take you to cover more distance.
“It covers about 1.8 kilometres for every one kilometre that petrol or diesel will take you with the same volume and price.
“To convert your car from fuel to CNG, you don’t need more than N200,000 and it can even be converted free of charge if you join a network of gas supplier.’’
He said the agency was pushing for the Nigeria gas expansion programme to ensure that filling system is available at filling station where vehicles can buy CNG.
