•The pain is just too much —Enugu residents

•What fuel subsidy removal has done to us —Anambra residents

•We’re going through hell —Abia residents

•Enugu Govt. has not shown us concern —Civil servant

•We pray God to give us good leader or touch the heart of the incumbent—Sarkin Hausawa of Amawbia

By Anayo Okoli, Vincent Ujumadu, Steve Oko, Chinedu Adonu, Chimaobi Nwaiwu, Emmanuel Iheka & Nwabueze Okonkwo

IT has been a very difficult time for Nigerians following the sudden and unplanned removal of petrol subsidy by the Tinubu Government. 

President Tinubu’s famous declaration of “fuel subsidy is gone” shortly after being inaugurated, threw the nation into economic chaos and brought so much hardship on Nigerians. Since then, life has not been easy for the people.

Nigerians are indeed going through excruciating pains to survive the harsh economic situation brought by this unprepared removal of fuel subsidy.

The economic hardship gets worse as state governments seem to be playing dirty politics with the palliative materials and funds given to them by the Federal Government for the people. In many states, including states in the South-East region, the citizens have not received anything or felt the impact of the palliative measure so far.

 We live under excruciating pain over high cost of living—Anambra residents

Prices of all items and transport fares have gone up beyond imagination. A tuber of yam which was about N800 before the subsidy removal, now costs N2,300 and transport fares have also more than doubled. House rent has also increased, and schools, including universities (federal, state and private), have also increased their fees.

A civil servant and resident of Awka, Mrs. Justina Okeke, whose husband is also a civil servant, with four children, said they have concluded plans to relocate to their village, as they could no longer cope with the cost of living in the city. She said that all her children, who were in private schools, would be transferred to public schools from next term to save cost, just as she said that their family menu has been reviewed in line with the economic situation.

“My husband suggested that we should consider returning to the village to enroll our children there to cut cost. We have not even told the children what awaits them, but we intend to do that in a way they won’t suffer psychologically. The good thing is that we have managed to build a house in the village and so, the issue of rent increase by landlords will no longer be an issue.

“As for car, my husband has since parked his car because fuelling it has become a problem”, she said.

Mr. Nonso Chilaka, a trader, said the situation has become so bad that many families have abandoned their power-generating sets due to high cost of fuel. He said: “Can you imagine that there has been power outage in Awka for four days and many people are not bothered about putting their generating sets on. If it were before, once power goes off, the entire neighborhood becomes noisy with sound of generators.

“Now, many families have realised that generating sets are avoidable luxury. The same goes for the recharging of DSTV. For the past 10 years, I had consistently recharged my DSTV every month, but I have not done that since June this year. That is what the present government has reduced Nigerians to.”

Chilaka, however, observed that one advantage of the fuel subsidy removal is the disappearance of traffic gridlock on the roads as many cars have suddenly disappeared.

He cautioned that there is bottled up anger in the land, warning leaders to be very careful to avoid mob reaction in the country.

“There is a limit to everything and our leaders should not assume that all is well. They must do something to change the current situation to reduce the pains of the people,” he said.

We’re passing through hell—Abia residents

Abia residents are lamenting the excruciating economic hardship triggered by the sudden removal of fuel subsidy. According to some of the residents who spoke with SEV, life has become miserable and uninspiring for them.

A business centre owner on Ohafia by Calabar Street, Umuahia, Mr. David, said patronage had sharply dropped. He explained that he was spending about N3,000 daily before the subsidy removal to run the centre but now spends over N7,000 daily and with less profit.

Madam Ifeanyi Nnachi, a food vendor from Edda in Ebonyi State, said that life has become very unbearable for her as she could barely afford the high cost of items in the market.

“This fuel subsidy removal has hit me hard. Before now, I was using about N10,000 as capital to buy everything I needed for the tapioca business, but now I go to market with N15,000 and still buy things on credit. The little profit I make is barely enough for my family. One of my two children is in the university and very soon, school will resume. I just don’t know what to do”.

A tricycle operator, who simply identified himself as Austin, said they are the worst hit by the effects of fuel subsidy removal.

According to the newly-marriedtricycle operator: “We are dying. We are now fuel sellers for fuel station owners because after removing the amount we spend on fuel, we are left with nothing.

Before the subsidy removal, I was balancing N20,000 per week to the owner of this keke plus extra N20,000 I was saving for myself. But now, I could barely account for N19,000 to the owner, and I go home empty-handed.”

A colleague of his, who gave his name as Ndubuisi, said President Tinubu has succeeded in unleashing hardship on Nigerians in less than 100 days in office. He said he never imagined that any administration in the country could be worse than that of PMB.

“After spending so much to buy fuel, passengers are unwilling to pay high transport fare. In fact, some of them prefer to trek and instead of losing out, we collect the old fare sometimes. Life is now very tough for us. My greatest concern is how to cope as school is about to reopen. I don’t know if we can continue to stay here in the city.”

Mrs. Ijeoma, a mother of four and fruit seller at Isi Gate Market Umuahia, lamented the high cost of living, saying the family could hardly feed nowadays.

“Before now, we were feeding three or four times but now, we struggle to eat two times a day but things have changed. I am not sure my children will continue with their education if things do not change for good. We need  God’s intervention to be out of this hell.”

We’re left with nothing after paying transport fare —Enugu civil servant

Enugu State civil servants are lamenting the pains inflicted on them by the sudden removal of fuel subsidy. A civil servant, who gave his name simply as Innocent, lamented that nothing is left from his monthly salary after paying transport fare to work.

“We are finished here. The civil servants in Enugu State are suffering. Your monthly salary cannot offset transportation fare let alone buy food. The price of foodstuffs has skyrocketed due to cost of transportation. It is very difficult now for a civil servant to pay house rent in Enugu. My wife has resorted to use of firewood to cook, we have dropped gas, even though the fire wood is not cheap but a better option.

“Imagine that a painter of beans is now N2,500, rice N3,500, garri N2,000 and Enugu State Govi. never bothered to increase the salary of civil servants or provide buses to convey us to work as palliative to cushion the effect.

“The state government is not doing anything to help us. Many states have reduced the number of working days to three to help workers, some increased salary of civil servants and provided food items to cushion the effect of subsidy removal but the administration of Barr. Peter Mbah has done nothing,” he said.

Also, speaking, a trader at the Ogbete Main market, Onyekachi Nnamani said that the subsidy removal has a negative impact on his business.

“What do you want me to say now? It is generally affecting everybody. Nigerians are suffering more especially the poor masses.”

It’s difficult to recover fuel money these days — Imo commercial driver

A commercial motorist in Owerri, Imo State, Michael Nkemakolam, said it is difficult recovering money he spends in fuelling his vehicle.

Nkemakolam, who is operating the vehicle on hire purchase, stated that the situation has resulted in defaulting in payment. The father of four lamented that it has been difficult trying to provide for his family since the removal of subsidy.

“It has been very difficult since they removed subsidy. Sometimes, I buy N9,000 fuel and I don’t recover the money at the end of the day.

Some people have resorted to trekking some distance instead of boarding vehicles in order to save money. It is affecting us. I have four children; I find it difficult to feed them these days. This bus is on hire purchase; sometimes, I don’t meet up with the weekly payment. I am thinking of another business so that I can take care of my family,” he stated.

We’re against giving palliative materials, funds to governors —CD

The Chairman, Campaign for Democracy, South East Zone, Dede Uzor A Uzor, said the people of South East are passing through hell to survive the present economic situation. Uzor dismissed President Tinubu’s N2 billion palliative to state governors as fraud, insisting that the poor masses would not benefit from it.

“Why not channel such money to repair the refineries, so that we can stop the importation of fuel; why distribute money. Why not put in place conducive atmosphere to enable the people survive on their own like they have been doing under the bad leadership of the All Progressives Congress APC government. A Government whose foundation is laid on fraud will never leave fraud, there is no sincerity in this government and Nigerians should not expect anything good or sincere from it”, Uzor queried.

An industrialist, Chief Johnson Okolo said the subsidy removal effect is more on the people of the South East region because they are commercially inclined.

“It is like we are in war period. We are suffering removal of fuel subsidy just like we suffered during the 1966 to 1967 Nigerian Biafra Civil war when people could not get to where they wanted to go. We are battling subsidy removal and at the same time battling insecurity. Subsidy removal has crippled our commercial and business activities particularly trading and industrial production.”