Helen Ovbiagele

One could feel the anger and the frustration behind each text message we received on our piece on how fuel pumps attendants short-change customers.  Maybe many of us are still smarting from the recent hefty fuel hike, and the current exorbitant costs of  kerosene and diesel; or perhaps just the stress of having to cope with many things that don’t work in our beloved country. However, everyone who wrote in was  displeased with all the fuel-related problems we have to endure.

‘Mrs Ovbiagele, don’t you think that it’s time that all the citizens of this nation take to the streets to protest the various problems we have about the issue of fuel?  I think it is.  The most annoying thing is that we have insensitive leaders!  They just don’t care what the masses, many of whom live below whatever the concept of  breadline is in this country, are going through.

They sit in their well-airconditioned offices, refusing to respond to the needs of the rest of us.  I agree with you that there are malpractices in our fuel stations, but you have to look beyond just the attendants at the pumps.  If the government allows them to be paid poorly, it’s normal that they would want to find ways of cheating their customers in order to make ends meet.  I don’t condone cheating/stealing in any form, but how do you expect anyone, even a child, to survive on less than ten thousand naira a month is this country?

Even the so-called manager at the filling station, how much do you think he earns?  Peanuts for many hours of work!  You can’t expect him/her not to be one of those who share what the attendants managed to cheat the customers out of, at the end of the day.  Pay these workers decent salaries, adjust the pumps to the correct guage, and throw out anyone who cheats customers. –  Stanley, Badagry.’

‘Madam, thank you for being one of the voices that express in print what the rest of us have in mind.  Now, this issue of fuel attendants cheating customers is on the increase.  They have all the tricks up their sleeves to ensure that no customer goes away without being cheated.

Fuel Dispenser

‘I asked for two thousand,  five hundred  naira worth of fuel to be put in my tank and right before my eyes, the attendant stopped at two thousand naira mark, removed the nozzle from my tank and asked for money. I gave him two thousand naira.  ‘Oga, it remains five hundred naira.’

I turned to point at the meter.  It was  already back at zero! Had my eyes deceived me?   Embarrassed, I handed over five hundred naira.  The attendant smiled smugly and turned to another customer.

A bike man who had been  waiting to be served, came to  whisper to me that  I had been cheated.  ‘Oga, na two thousand he put.  I see am with my koroko ro eyes.’  I thanked the man, but since the proof of the deed was gone,  it would have been pointless accusing the attendant.  I left, silently furious with myself, for not speaking up at the right time.  Those who run filling stations should do something.  Thanks madam –  Y.O,  Lagos.

‘Helen, I can identify with that man you mentioned in your article.  When one is elderly, these young thugs at the pumps feel we can be cheated with impunity, because  we’re not as agile as we used to be, and perhaps our sight isn’t that sharp any more for reading the meter.

‘We can’t leap out of our seats to go keep our eyes glued onto the meter, so we pay what they tell us, particularly if you’ve asked for fill-up.  In my early years, we were brought up to respect and help the elderly, not cheat them.  Is it poverty, or are these people raised to be thieves?  Why must Nigerians feel they have to make money from every situation?  It’s alarming and sad.  –  Pa Mathew, Oshogbo.’

‘Cheating at the pumps is wide-spread in this country, Mrs. Ovbiagele.  Even though the  NNPC filling stations are selling fuel at 97 naira per litre, same as others,  you find long queues there at any given time; at least here in Benin City.  This is because their one litre means one litre.

At most other stations, metres have been tampered with, so, you get less fuel for the litres you pay for.  Watch the needle when they start serving you.  It starts at 3 naira as soon as the nozzle is picked up, and before it is inserted into your tank, even though the needle may have been at zero at the onset. That means to start with, they take 3 naira from you.

This has been in practice even before the recent fuel hikes,  so it can’t be attributed to the increase.  You may say that three naira is nothing, but multiply that by the number of vehicles that are attended to every day.  This is in addition to other cheating methods used.

There should be regular random checks on filling stations nationwide from time to time, by inspectors from the government supervisory department, to ensure that members of the public are treated right.  This malpractice should stop.  It is not putting the country in a good light.’  – Osayi, Benin City.

“If an attendant at a filling station picks a conversation with you as soon as you get to his pump, please come out of your vehicle and let your eyes stay glued to the meter.  I know that for good public relations, those who serve the public are trained to be polite and nice to their customers, but here in Nigeria, this attitude is used to defraud.

As you  respond to their chat, they carry out all sorts of malpractice.  Even if you notice this, as female and a mature person, you feel embarrassed to protest, because the attendant had been so nice and warm.  All adults in my family have had this experience.  It’s only the younger members who fiercely see that they’re not cheated; as they fix their eyes on the meter, and query every suspicious move of the attendants.

The latter are hardly ever nice/polite to their young customers, knowing that the gesture would be wasted, and nothing would come into their pockets.  I’m always amused when I see them serving my children with bored/annoyed expression.  A quarterly assessment (leading to awards) by the department of petroleum services, on the rating of  filling stations may help improve their image.

They should be judged on  transparent honesty at the pumps, courtesy, cleanliness of the premises, toilet facilities, security, etc.  This is done in many western nations, and it has helped matters to the point that you can serve yourself at the pumps, and go pay to the cashier inside his/her office.   Thanks. –  Mama Toyin.’

‘All fuel filling stations in Nigeria may not have cheats at the pumps, madam, but my policy is that I never let down my guard.  I fix my eyes on the meter, ensure that it starts at the zero point when I’m being served, refuse to be distracted by any chat from the attendant or anyone else, and be quite alert until I’ve been served and I’ve paid.  This is what living in this country has taught one.  Expect to be cheated and do your best to vigorously resist it.’  –  Dadson.

‘Madam, I enjoyed your write-up on what some fuel stations attendants can be up to.  My view is that there’s a lot of cheating and dishonesty in this industry.  How come that whenever there’s fuel crisis, either due to strikes or shortage, you find boys and girls hovering around filling stations with their jerrycans of  fuel, ready to sell to members of the  public.  Where did they get their supply, and when, since all fuel stations are shut and barricaded?

I suppose it’s too much to expect honesty in any field in this country.  Of course, not all Nigerians are like this, but it’s the few rotten eggs that bring offensive odour to an entire basket of eggs.  This odour wafts outside the country, bringing us dishonour wherever Nigerians go.

It’s no wonder that even South Africa that Nigeria helped enormously in every way to win  their fight against Apartheid, now regards us as the scum of the earth, and singles us out for humiliating treatment at their airports and within their country.  Should we really blame them?  Are our people there showing us in good light?  –   Mrs. Blessing,  Enugu.’
We thank all the readers who sent in their views.