Petrol subsidy removal and how it affects Me!

Forget all the big numbers and speeches for and against the benefits or otherwise of deregulation in the oil sector.
A lot of arguments for or against the removal of subsidy from petrol...

I don't want to get into those calculations or numbers or speeches ! What concernes me most is how it affects me both on the short and long term.


Starting with the very obvious. Pre-subsidy removal, I used to spend between #3,000 and #3,500 to fuel my car weekly and #1,950 to fuel my generating set weekly!(Since PHCN does not bother about my area again)
Fast forward to the present and the difference is outrageous ! The last time i went to the filling station, i spent #11,000 for both car and generating set! The same fuel i used to buy for #1,950 now goes for #4,200 and that of the vehicle about #7,000 !!! How does one survive on buying petrol of #11,000 weekly ?

A bag of sachet water that I used to buy for #60 direct from source and #70/#80 from retailers now goes for #110 from from source and #130-#150 from the retailers.

I must drink water since the goverment has refuse to provide portable water for me !



Since there is no electicity supply, i can't pump water from the borehole to my thank so I have to make do with the mallams that push water trucks. A truck of ten 25 litre kegs used to go for #200, fast forward and you have to pay between #300 and #500. At least i must bathe and wash even if the government has refused to provide portable water !

The porpular tricycle (keke napep/marwa) that used to take us #20 naira per trip is now #50 any bustop ! We must move from place to place even if goverment does not provide proper and affordable means of transportation.



The loaf of bread i used to buy for #180 now goes for #230.

Perhaps the most annoying is the Mama put joint where i buy food sometimes. With just #150 naira, i am satisfied (#60 rice,#20 Beans, #60 beef and #10 pure water) ! nowadays the same quantity of meal costs #320 (#100 rice, #50 beans, #150 meat and #20 pure water )


I bought Suya too. The Suya that is usually sold to small kids for #50 is what now goes for hundred naira! About 6 miserable pieces of beef.

Since the 30th of December 2011 till day, i have only seen power in my area 3 or 4 times (No transformer in the whole area so we borrow from 3 streets away). Imagine having to run the generator all these days !!!


They say the removal of subsidy will benefit us all on the long run and i agree  !! but what is the essense if we all die of the present hardship before then?

I think it is quite insensitive of the government to do such a thing ! First things first, reduce government spending on running the government as a sign to the people that you care.
Slash the allowances of all political office holders in half.
Do away with all the complementary posts of minister of state, special assistant, special advisers and many more unnecessary posts.


How can the Government claim to have the people at heart, yet appropriate #1bn for feeding some people ! Awon anjonu lo fe pese ounje naa ni ?

I also heard #56million was budgeted for phone call for one person. Small maths from a friend. Each day has 24 hours which is equal to 1,440 minutes multiplied by 365 days of the year comes up to 525,600 minutes in a year. At #50 naira per minute, this comes to #26,280,000. what this means is that if he is on the phone every single minute of the day, for the whole year at #50 per minute he would have spent #26million Why budget #56million ?

I heard that the VP's newspaper budget for 2012 is #45.08million! If he buys 50 newspapers at #400 each for the whole year he would have spent #7,320,000 ! Who is fooling who ?



These are some of the things government should look into first before heaping hardship on the masses.


These are some of the ways the subsidy removal affects me !, What about you ?