Fuel scarcity in Anyigba

Fuel scarcity bites hard on the students

Students of Kogi State University, KSU, Anyigba, and residents of the city are groaning under the weight of the petroleum scarcity being experienced in the city.

Those who spoke with our correspondent called for quick intervention of government to nip the unsavory situation in the bud.

Abubakar Audu, a 200 Level student of Mass Communication, said the situation is eating deep into his little finance, saying that if the situation is not addressed soon, several of those of them without accommodation on campus would be forced into trekking long distances to school.

“My brother, the situation is not funny. I cannot afford to spend N300.00 daily from where I stay, Warri Nation, to campus, which is now N120.00 to and from the school. Some take as high as N150.00.

This means we spend almost N300.00 everyday. If others can afford it, I cannot. It is absolutely not practicable for people like me.”

Mabe Odawn (400 Level Law) on the other hand wondered what caused the dearth of petroleum in the area and prayed for quick resolution of issues responsible for it.

For Mulikat Oyiza, the discomfort being created for the students by the scarcity is one that better imagined than experienced. She said they are going through untold hardship as a result and appealed for the petroleum marketers to have pity on the plight of the ordinary masses.

Reacting to the matter, a major marketer in the area, Abdul Isah said some of the members do not understand what is going on, stating that the situation may not be unconnected with the habit of some of his colleagues from the Kogi State Capital, Lokoja, to hoard the product.

He said some of the marketers in Anyigba depend mostly on some marketers in Lokoja to serve them with the product since they cannot go to the refinery directly to lift the product.

Isah said they are working assiduously to addressing the issue.

Investigations by Campus Life has revealed at the time of going to press that transportation fares on both commercial vehicles and motorcycle (Okada) has doubled in the city.

The students heavily use Okada as a means of mobility from and to school for lectures. They also use petroleum to power their electronic appliances since the area is mostly without electricity supply from national grid.

Some of the filling stations visited by our reporter over the weekend were uncharacteristically under lock because of lack of the product. Only MRS located at Idah-Lokoja was seen selling the merchandise.