Nigerians are having a bitter-sweet holiday in the course of the Eid-el-Maulud and Christmas festivals which joined up with the weekend to create a five-day work-free window, ending tomorrow (Tuesday).
Electricity supply has improved significantly across the country, bringing succour to holiday makers, while fuel prices have shot up, raising transport cost and dampening the atmosphere.
Similarly, the traditional massive Christmas season migration to the countryside has decongested major commercial business centres, as Lagos and Abuja, while some intercity highways have been witnessing congestion.
Many of the nation’s close to 7,000 fuel stations did not have stock and some of those which had in Lagos, sold at the controlled price of N87 per litre. Others went as far as N120 per litre. There was however more fuel available in the black market, where it was dispensed at N150 per litre.
In Enugu, Onitsha, Owerri and other cities in the east, fuel was dispensed at N150 per litre in service stations.
Electronic channels such as mobile phone networks, automated teller machines (ATMs) and point of sale terminals (PoS) usually hard pressed at times like this, have been experiencing hitches.
Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial nerve-centre has seen electricity supply improving by about 100 percent, from an average of between three and six hours a day, to between six and 12 hours.
Reports from across the country indicate likewise improvement. Industry analysts say this is typical at this time of the year, and attribute the trend to the shutting down of heavy and light industries for the Christmas and New Year breaks, leading supply to be channeled to residential areas.
Our correspondents report huge crowds at major airports, especially Lagos, Abuja and Portharcourt, and motor parks in the country, with traffick jams on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and the Ore and Asaba points on the East-West Road.
As at yesterday, a trip from Lagos to Owerri in Imo State by luxury bus cost N10,000. The same journey costs N3,500 in the off season. The reverse trip from Owerri to Lagos cost N2,000 yesterday.
Scarcity and unreasonable increase in the price of fuel forced many commuters and revellers to stay at homes and celebrated Christmas and Boxing Day in low-key in major cities across Southwest states of in In the south-west states of Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti and even Kwara, a litre of petrol sold for between N120 and N140.
Transport fares in Abeokuta, Sagamu, Ijebu-ode, Ibadan, Ogbomoso, Oyo, Iseyin, Osogbo, Ile-Ife, Akure, Owo, Ado-Ekiti and Ilorin were increased between 50 – 80 percent and human and vehicular traffic was lighter in places like Ado-Ekiti, Ondo, Akure, Ile-Ife, Ogbomoso, Oyo, Iseyin as commuters declined to travel for Yuletide, but movement of people and vehicles was relatively heavy in Ibadan, Abeokuta, Ijebu-Ode, Ado-Odo/Ota, Sagamu.
In Ogun state, major cities like Abeokuta, Sagamu, Ijebu-Ode,Ado-Odo/Ota, Ifo, Ibafo, among others, some petrol stations opened for business and sold the product between N130 and N140. This forced a sudden increase in the prices of essential goods and services, though many people still patronised these goods and services since the State government had paid December wages and salaries for all categories of workers under its employ at the State and Local government levels.
Also, electricity supply was relatively stable in main cities compared to what it was used to be and this saved many people cost of buying petrol, just as the Police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps as well as other security agencies provided water-tight security especially in Abeokuta, the State capital, mounting check points at entrances to major cities and engaging in a show of force across the state.
In Oyo, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti and Kwara states, socio-economic situation was worse as the various State governments did not pay workers’ salaries for months and all workers celebrated Christmas and Boxing Day low-keyed, though electricity supply was relatively stable and adequte security of lives and property was provided by combined security agents, including Police, NSCDC, SSS exand Federal Roads Safety Corps was visible in every part of the states mentioned controlling traffic and ensuring free flow of vehicles in and out of the major cities.
In Benin City, transport fares within the metropolis have increased from hitherto N50 before the Christmas celebration to N200.
The hike in transport fares within and outside the state was being attributed to the scarcity of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS).
A drive around the Benin metropolis showed that petrol was available in only a few filling stations. Those that had the product sold for between N140 to N150 per litre.
