Pride they say, comes before a fall, or should I say hubris comes before a fall. Our independent petrol marketers thought they could push Buhari around and keep increasing the price of fuel ad infinitum. But now most of their petrol stations are empty, with workers standing idly by, waiting for cars that never come to come to buy fuel.
Why? They have finally pushed the price of petrol beyond the level of endurance of the middle class Nigerian, and a lot of them have started leaving their cars at home and taking public transport to work.
One person I spoke to says he decided to park his car after discovering that he now spends N,2000 every day to buy fuel on days when their is no traffic jam.
Another person says he used to fill up his fuel tank with N4000, but now that goes no where. His car is conveniently parked at home.
When they were disturbing Buhari to deregulate the downstream sector, these marketers thought they were taking advantage of the president’s political weakness, but now they have had their way, they are now reporting a 40% drop in patronage from motorists, and they have bills to pay.
Now can they go to Buhari again to complain? They have only themselves to blame. They can bet that Buhari will not bail them out.
Buhari will not subsidise them. they carry the full weight of responsibility now.
The marketers may have gotten what they wanted, but they have lost what they had.
Hmnnn
Fuel problem is not ending anytime soon.