2 months ago
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Commercial tricycle operators, known as ‘Keke riders,’ in the Warri and Effurun metropolis of Delta State, along with some aggrieved women and youths, took to the streets on Wednesday in a peaceful protest over the scarcity of premium motor spirit amidst the official price hike.
By 9 o’clock in the morning, hundreds of market women and Keke riders were seen marching through the major roads, calling on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently intervene and reverse the fuel price hike.
The protesters carried placards and chanted slogans expressing their frustration and anger over the price hike, which has pushed prices to nearly N1,100 per litre, worsening their economic struggles.
Some of the placards bore inscriptions such as “Tinubu, intervene now to alleviate commuters’ suffering”; “Tinubu, activate Warri and Kaduna refineries without further delay”;
“We are suffering in silence, the fuel price hike is a killer.”
The protesters urged President Tinubu to take immediate action to address the situation and provide relief to Nigerians.
PUNCH Metro observed some of the protesters marching from the popular Deco Road towards Enerhen, lamenting the economic hardship caused by the unbearable hike in fuel prices, coupled with the scarcity of the commodity.
Additionally, our correspondent noted that most of the filling stations along the Warri-Sapele road were closed to motorists on Wednesday morning, while the few that were open for business sold petrol at above N1,000 per litre.
Consequently, this development had adverse effects on commuters within the metropolis as well as interstate travellers, as motorists raised their transport fares.
The usually bustling Airport Junction in Effurun, a hub for interstate transportation, was a shadow of its former self on Wednesday as intending travellers struggled to buy tickets, and transporters complained bitterly about their inability to procure fuel.
