Traders, Transporters, Consumers Lament Astronomical Increase In Fuel Price

Kazeem Badmus

THE astronomical increase in the price of Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called Petrol has brought untold hardship on the residents of the State of Osun, findings have revealed.

Traders, commercial transporters and consumers who spoke with OSUN DEFENDER, told the medium that the hike in petrol price has affected their livelihoods.

It would be recalled that President Bola Tinubu during his inaugural address on Monday, announced that the era of fuel subsidy was gone.

According to the President, “Subsidy can no longer jus fy its everincreasing costs in the wake of drying resources. We shall instead re-channel the funds into be er investment in public infrastructure, educa on, health care and jobs that will materially improve the lives of millions.

“We commend the decision of the outgoing administra on in phasing out the petrol subsidy regime which has increasingly favoured the rich more than the poor.”

Tinubu said since there was no provision for subsidy in the budget from June 2023, it stands removed.

Less than 24 hours a er the announcement, the pump price of petrol skyrocketed to N300 per litre from N210 in many parts of the state.

On Wednesday morning, the price jumped from N300 to N500 as filling sta ons with fuel witnessed long queues.

The development equally triggered a 75 to 100 per cent hike in both intrastate and interstate transport fares, while foodstuffs and commodi es were not exempted.

OSUN DEFENDER gathered that a bus to Ibadan and Lagos from parks in Osogbo is now N2000 and N4000 respec vely as against N1000 and N3000 before the fuel hike.

Speaking with the medium, a trader at Ota Efun market, Oluwabunmi Ariyo, lamented the hike in the cost of transpor ng her foodstuffs, adding that the situa on will automa cally result to increment in price of essen al needs.

Ariyo who noted that her suppliers had not increased their selling price said the driver she engaged in bringing her goods from Lagos increased the transport charge by 100 per cent.

According to her, “I’m currently selling the foodstuffs I have in stock but I don’t think I will sell the ones they are bringing from Lagos at the same price.

“Although, my suppliers have not increased the price of what I’m buy- ing from them, the driver who helped me in bringing the foodstuffs has jacked up his transport fare by 100 per cent.

“I now pay double of what I was paying before, and it means I have to also increase the prices of the foodstuffs to make a profit”.

A minibus bus (Korope) driver who idenfied himself as Kunle

Olamummy told the medium that the increase in fuel pump price was having nega ve effect on his daily income.

The driver who said he made between N9000 to N12,000 daily before the pump price hike noted that passengers have reduced which led to reduc on in his income.

Olamummy said passengers are not willing to pay double the amount they were paying for transport fare before.

“The increase in fuel price is affec ng me. Before the increment, it was even hard to get enough to pay the bus owner and get something to take home to the family.

“Now with the astronomical increase, I don’t know how we want to survive. I can’t increase

Guilty Of Murder: Adedoyin To Forfeit Hotel To Osun Govt, Sponsor Victim’s Children Education

Yusuf Oketola

THE death sentence handed down the founder of Hilton Hotel, Ile-Ife, Dr. Ramon Adedoyin, by a State of Osun High Court on the death of a late master student of Obafemi Awolowo University, Timothy Adegoke, is one of the major issues of the week across Nigeria.

Adegoke was found dead on November 6, 2021 at Adedoyin’s hotel, where he had lodged.

Adedoyin is a foremost Nigerian educaonist and businessman, born on January 1, 1957. He is the founder and proprietor of Oduduwa University and The Polytechnic, Ile-Ife.

There are insinuaons that Adedoyin was punished for the offence commi ed by his son, Roheem Adedoyin who is now at large.

However, the court has declared Roheem Adedoyin wanted and asked interpol to fish him out wherever he is hiding.

Adedoyin faced charges of murder, conspiracy and tampering with evidence, among others.

He denied the charges, sta ng that he was nowhere around the hotel on the day the incident happened. He refused to enter the witness box.

Adedoyin was denied bail but granted access to medical facili es of his choice during the course of his trial.

The Chief Judge of Osun State, Jus ce Adepele Ojo, in a judgement on Tuesday, pronounced Adedoyin and two staff members of the hotel guilty of murder.

Jus ce Ojo, in a judgment that lasted over two hours, held that the circumstan al evidence available to the court pointed to the killing of Adegoke while being a guest at the hotel owned by Adedoyin.

The judge dismissed Adedoyin’s account that he was not within the hotel when the late Adegoke lodged there.

Jus ce Ojo also held that Adedoyin’s decision not to enter the witness box to convince the court that he was innocent was fatal to his case because the burden of proof had shi ed to him.

In conclusion, the judge said the prosecuon proved the charges of conspiracy and unlawful killing pressed against Adedoyin and two of the six workers charged alongside with him beyond reasonable doubt.

Jus ce Ojo therea er convicted Adedoyin, the two hotel workers, Adeniyi Aderogba and Oyetunde Kazeem. The judge sentenced them to death by hanging.

In addi on, Jus ce Ojo held that: “The Hilux van, which was used as part of the instruments for the commission of the crimes for which the defendants have been tried and convicted, is hereby forfeited to the state.

“The hotel premises, which was used by the defendants for the commission of the crimes for which the defendants have been tried and convicted, is hereby forfeited to the state.

“As the vic ms of crime, the children of the late Timothy, whose breadwinner and ben- the transport fare by 100 per cent. That will be too much but without that, we might not even be able to pay the owners.

“Since yesterday (Wednesday), my daily income has reduced. Most passenger would not board my bus once I gave them the new price.

“When we were buying fuel for N200, I use to make between N9,000 to N12,000 daily a er fuel, but since Wednesday, I have not go en anything near that. The government has to find a reasonable solu on to this”.

A civil servant in the state, Alhaji Hammed Adebayo, told the medium that if the situaon con nues, most civil servants would not be able to go to work.

Adebayo said the cost of fueling his car has become a source of worry, adding that he will be spending over 40 per cent of his salary on fueling his car.

He stated: “Cost of living is too high with our li le income and now the fuel price has increased. It is very difficult to survive in this situa on.

“You see, a lot of civil servants could not drive their cars to office today due to the scarcity and high cost of fuel. They resorted to public transporta on, but this will not even help the situa on as the drivers have also increased their fares.” efactor had been gruesomely murdered and snatched away from them in his prime by the defendants, shall be placed under educa on up to university level at a cost to the 1st, 3rd and 5th defendants.”

The court, however, freed three of the hotel workers, Magdalene Chiefuna, Oluwole Lawrence and Adebayo Kunle.

However, the seventh defendant, Adesola Adedeji, who was the recep onist on duty on the day late Adegoke arrived at the hotel was sentenced to two years imprisonment, star ng from the day of her arrest.

Lamen ng the hardship that the removal of subsidy has brought, a buyer, Olabisi Kayode said the government should have put some relief measures in place before announcing the subsidy removal.

She said: “The new administra on should not start by inflic ng pain on us, as the high cost of fuel has a mulplier effect on goods and services.

“I went to the market today and to my surprise, prices of foodstuffs and other commodi es have gone up. I couldn’t get all I budgeted for.

“The country is already hard as it is. If this hike in fuel price is not urgently looked into, I don’t know what will become the fate of the average people in this country.

“With the current minimum wage, I don’t know how we will survive if this does not stop any me soon.

“The Federal Government ought to have put relief measures in place before announcing the removal of fuel subsidy.”