Residents of border communities between Nigeria and Benin Republic in Ogun state have decried the high price of Petroleum Motor Spirit known as petrol which has now reached N2,000 per litre in some areas.
This drastic surge in fuel cost is crippling daily life in areas such as Idiroko, Ijofin, Agosasa, Ipokia, Iwoye Ketu, Tube, Oniro, Araromi ofo, Ilate, Ohunbo, Agada, Maahun and Tungeji, across Ipokia and Imeko Afon Local Government Areas, leaving residents struggling to cope with the financial strain.
Findings by Saturday PUNCH revealed that only four filling stations – Olafems Oil, Mobil Fueling Station, Oppresso Oil and Gas; and Somolab Fueling Station are authorised by the Federal government to sell petrol.
While the authorised filling stations sell fuel between N1,200 and N1,300 per litre, black marketers sell between N1,500 and N2,000 per litre.
The sharp increase in fuel prices has been attributed to the smuggling of fuel across the border, where it is sold at higher prices.
In 2019, former President Muhammadu Buhari banned the supply of petroleum products to petrol stations within 20km of the country’s border to curtail the diversion of fuel to neighbouring countries.
Although the Buhari government later granted some filling station waivers to sell fuel in the border communities, the number is however insignificant to the population of the areas.
Many of the residents depend majorly on fuel supply from black market for their daily and business activities.
Residents who spoke with our correspondent accused the authorised filling stations of majorly selling to smugglers who in turn make fortunes from selling to the Benin Republic.
A community leader in Ipokia, Ismael Balogun, who spoke to Saturday PUNCH lamented that the high fuel price has crippled economic activities in border areas
“The few authorised petrol stations hardly sell fuel to the people. They prefer to sell to smugglers to buy in large quantities and resell to the Benin Republic.
“The situation has brought untold hardship to the people. Transportation cost is unbearable and upon that, operatives of the Nigeria customs service keep harassing and intimidating our people”, Balogun said.
Also speaking, the Chairman of Ipokia Local Government Youth Forum, Imoleayo Mawutin, lamented that four petrol stations were grossly inadequate to serve a population of over 350,000 people.
He called on the government to lift the ban on the sale of petrol and allow other filling stations sell fuel.
“Every week, we have a total supply of 180,000 litres of PMS in our local government but it is all going down the drain to the Benin Republic, PMS racketeers and black marketers.
“Our people now have to go as far as over 30km to Owode township, in another local government to buy PMS which customs will still have to harass and treat them badly while they confiscate the products meant for domestic consumption.
“These inhumane acts had forced most of our hospitals, Small and Medium Enterprises and farmers out of operations and the few left with no other option have to result to buying of PMS from black marketers and hoarders at an unreasonable price ranging from 1,500 to 2,000 Naira per litre”, Mawutin said.
When contacted, the Public Relations Officer of Ogun State Command of Customs, Hammed Oloyede, denied allegations of intimidation and harassment of residents by customs officers.
He advised residents to channel their grievances to the appropriate quarters.
